Texas Rangers are going to the World Series!!!

Marcus' best sport was baseball.  He loved playing the sport and he loved going to Arlington to watch the Rangers play.  The picture to the left was at the Old Arlington Stadium, before the Ball Park in Arlington was built.  When we went to the games he always wanted us to buy him the pennant of the visiting team. He wanted to see every single American League team play.  By the time he was a teen, we have collected all of the American League teams.  Then Major League Baseball started, inter-league play and we did not go enough to collect all of the National League team's pennants.

Last night the Rangers clinched the American League championship by beating the New York Yankees in Arlington.  My wife and I enjoyed the victory but there definitely was something missing.  Marcus did not like watching sports on t.v. during the regular seasons but he loved watching the playoffs.  I cannot help but long for him while the celebration was going on.  After texting our son Alex of the game's results, I almost wishful thinikingly texted Marcus' old cell number.  I thought better of it.  I am sure the number is now assigned to someone else.  You will have to shoot me to get me to erase it from my cell phone.

I am theological idiot, but I have a feeling baseball is not a big thing in heaven.  I doubt they even pay attention to it up there.  I do know that I miss my son and I wish i can share this moment with him.

So many games we watched in person and on TV.  Sure we have seen more wins than losses, but this win, was the biggest one for the franchise.  Somehow it is not as sweet as it should be.



The five pictures above are from 1999, my employer then had the Brooks Robinson luxury box at the Ballpark.  If you notice Alex's left foot it is bandaged, because the day before he accidentally stepped on a piece of broken glass in fountatin.  He had to get stitches but yet we still went to the game that day.

Happy Birthday Marcus!

the pic above is Patricia singing to Marcus on his birthday, Alex was two weeks old

Our son would have been 25 today.  This is the second bithday since his passing.  No day has been easy since his accident but family birthdays and holidays have been especially torturous.  We all miss him so much! 

His Facebook page is filling up of friends and family greeting him a Happy Birthday.  Some wishing he was still here.  Others acknowledging that he is watching over us and that he is in a better place.

this pic is of Marcus' 6th birthday, the first birthday I celebrated with him as his Dad

 Alex's reaction says it all - they love Jim Carey, that is my bother Chris to Marcus' right

apparently Alex cannot believe Koya got a Magic 8 Ball!

cake time

lil bro helping Koya blow out the candles

a year later, look how is fixated on the Zippo's flame

Happy Brthday Marcus, we love you and miss you so much.

Roadside Memorial

Moments after Marcus' accident, after the first Oklahoma trooper got to him, a resident of the area Barbara who happened to be a nurse stopped to render assistance.  She was actually the person that crawled into our son's car, after the trooper busted the passenger side window, to check on Marcus' condition.  She was the first person to realize that Marcus was no longer with us.  She is my hero.  She was our son's angel that night and she still is.  Before Easter last year, about a month and a half after Marcus' accident, she left flowers a cross and and angel at the crash site. 




Evey chance she gets she leaves flowers at the site, just to remind everyone that passes exit 214 in Tonkawa, OK that a young man that is well loved by family and friends left our world in this spot.

Thank you Barbara for all you have done for our son. 

exit 214 sign in the background...



Prayer Garden Pictures

First thing you see as you walk into the Garden area.

then this...



Once the trees have matured and the bushes and folliage get thicker the Garden should look complete.

Our youngest Alex gravitated towards this bench when we visited, here he is joined by his mother, my wife Patricia.

This is the Bible verse by the bench above.

We will be making future trips to Tabor to see this place often...

At night this is illuminated...







Dedication of Prayer Garden

Last Saturday September 25, 2010, Tabor College held a dedication ceremony for Marcus' Memorial Garden.  Patricia, Alex, Johnny (one of Marcus' high school friends), my mother-in-law Verda and Beaulah (one of her childhood friends) piled into a rental van and made the emotionally draining drive back to Hillsboro, Kansas to attend the dedication.  I was a bit disappointed once again, just like Graduation last year, because not more family or friends were able to join us.  I do understand though that life goes on.  Many commitments must be fulfilled.  Jobs, kids activities, birthdays, sports games all are very important.  Although not with us physically, I know the same people that reluctantly, maybe even embarassingly declined the invitation to joins us, where with us in spirit.

Once at Tabor we saw faces we haven't seen in a long time.  Faces that I now consider as lifelong friends because I will forever be thankful for their efforts to uplift our spirits.  I will be forever in debt for the way they now honor our Marcus and how they cared for him him when he was in Hillsboro.  These faces were just names from the many stories Marcus told us in the past.  These faces are now faces I miss deeply when I do not see them for a while.  Faces I will forever care for.

The next day we did get a chance to catch up with two of the young ladies that played a great part in Marcus' Tabor life.  They joined us for breakfast to greet Alex a belated Hapy Birthday.  Katie and Jessica are now seniors at Tabor and will soon be leaving the school behind.  Soon they will be faces that will spread farther away from us and we will miss them terribly.

Marcus Manny Prayer Garden Dedication Ceremony

click here to see original posting on www.tabor.edu

“Tabor College misses Marcus.” Those were the words of Vice President for Athletics Rusty Allen on Saturday, Sept. 25, as the Marcus Manny Memorial Prayer Garden was dedicated. The ceremony included prayer and speeches from those who knew and loved the Tabor football player who died in a single-car accident on February 22, 2009.

Allen opened the ceremony with some words about Manny and the effect that he had on campus, both as a person and as an athlete.

The garden is located on the west side of the Campus Recreation Center, leading toward the football stadium. A crowd of teammates, family members, students, staff and community members gathered prior to the start of the Tabor vs. Friends football game.


A special tribute was given by Manny’s roommate, Mario Nava. He shared a few words about his friend and teammate. “He was the type of person that was determined, outgoing, energetic, and most importantly a positive influence for many,” Nava said.  Nava struggled with his emotions as he talked about Manny’s passion and goals, even once pausing before continuing his speech. He said Manny never let anyone else get him down, even when others doubted that he could really accomplish his goals of becoming a personal trainer or wanting to kick for the Dallas Cowboys.

“Many people know Marcus was the man with the smile,” Nava said. “I really do not know how he did it, but he always seemed to take a negative situation and find something positive within it.” Nava closed by saying that getting to know Manny was one of the greatest things in his life

Manny’s grandmother, Verda Grantham, was the one who had the original idea for the prayer garden. She also spoke at the dedication. “Our family is so grateful to the Tabor community for the influence it had in Marcus’ life,” she said.  Grantham said it all started when Coach Gardner came to the Dallas area and recruited Manny to come play football at Tabor. She credits Tabor for having a positive impact on her grandson’s life. It was during a chapel service his senior year that Manny committed his life to God. The speaker that day used Skittles to illustrate that all things come from God. After the service, Manny hung a package of Skittles on his bulletin board and picture of the candy on his door as a reminder of what he had learned.

Grantham went on to say that she and the rest of the family was very grateful for everything that Tabor did for Marcus while he was there and for the family after his death. “And now, this Marcus Manny memorial Prayer Garden is a significant tribute to him and his life at Tabor,” she said.

She also said that she hopes the garden will be a place of beauty, rest, inspiration and prayer for the students at Tabor and that the garden will have a lasting impression. “We hope the verses will be something students keep in mind all day, like a song that sticks in your head,” Grantham said. She also added that because of its location, football players could reflect on their God-given talents before games.

Tabor President Jules Glanzer closed the ceremony with the prayer of dedication. As people departed to watch the football game, a basket full of Skittles was set out for people to take as a reminder of the day and of how God had worked in Manny’s life.

“The prayer garden will do so much for people,” said Grantham after the ceremony. “Maybe they will dedicate their lives to God.” She pointed out that although there is another garden on campus, this is the only one with prayer in its name.

“Tabor had an influence on Marcus, but Marcus definitely had an impact on Tabor,” Grantham said.

The Fray - How to Save a Life

The last winter Marcus spent with us, he asked me to search the lyrics for this song for him.  He wanted to share it with a friend.  It was before Christmas of 2008 before he left for Europe. 
I never found out what friend.  Just one more thing I have to wait for until I see my son again.

click here to watch video

The Fray - How To Save A Life



Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came

CHORUS:


Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life


Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you


CHORUS:


Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life


As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came


CHORUS:
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life


CHORUS:
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life
How to save a life


CHORUS:
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life


CHORUS:
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life