April 14, 1923

april 14, 85 years ago, was the birthday of herbert lawrence martin, alan's father.

he passed away from this life a little more than four years ago, a man who loved well and was loved by all who knew him.  there is so much i could say about this extraordinary man, but instead i will write what i read at his memorial service.  it is a tribute to who he was, how he lived, and how he died.

 

DAD

You were so alive

you and that smile that greeted each person 

as if you were eager just to take them in.

Playing pirates on the floor with your granddaughters

Drawing cartoons on the napkin at a restaurant

Whistling a Tchaikovsky concerto, while conducting yourself with your hands

Engaging in lively philosophical discussions

Staring at the face of someone you loved so that you could study and know

(and most like draw) the lines and contours of their face.

Just one week before you died

your body racked with disease

You walked down the stairs and into the kitchen for breakfast

and danced a little jig.

You were a man of gratitude

When we would give you a gift, a word of affection, a slice of desert,

Your classic answer was, "For me?" As if you didn't think

you deserved something so wonderful.

Even your intellect was overpowered by your grateful heart.

Your many questions and doubts about God finally crumbled

beneath the weight of your need to have someone to thank.

I will never forget the last words I ever heard you say as you lay dying.

A friend was leaving after coming to say good-bye,

and with hushed, labored enthusiasm, you managed to speak the words,

"Thank you very much!"

For 25 years, you taught me about

thankfulness, joy, the beauty of life

And last week you taught me about death--

that when you are a child of God it is a precious thing.

Even though we ache at the loss of you

as you slipped away we knew that even you--great lover of beauty

had been looking through a dim glass

and that for the first time you would soon see supreme loveliness--

the clear and radiant beauty of His face

Because of Jesus Christ, now you finally know

perfect life, perfect beauty, perfect love.

And because of Jesus Christ

though we grieve you fiercely

stronger still is the peace He gives that passes all our understanding

So we cry out with the ancients:

"Where, O death, is your victory?"

"Where, O death, is your sting?"

1-12-2004