DEAR BRANDON:
Hey #1 Son. I always called you that cause you were the first one God sent our way. When you got here, we prayed so hard for you because your lungs weren't developed and you were struggling to breath. But you, by God's grace, pulled through. And at 3 1/2, you took the ball field by storm by playing 3rd base your first year. What a ball player you were. Remember striking out Jason Slye on A field to win the game that night?
You were a lot like your mom, the older you got. You were quick thinking on your feet. You would have madE an excellent lawyer, because you could take something she or I said, take it apart, put it back together differently and make us think we said something we didn't. There were times you would say things, that though they were spot on, they could hurt. And I had hoped you would be a preacher some day. Again like your mom, singing wasn't your forte. You could sing, but not with a passion or conviction (Except for "A Country Boy Can Survive"). Your mom's dad, POP, taught you everything you knew about deer hunting. You were city on the outside, but the country side of the Martin genes came out strong in you.
Then came cancer. I will never forget what you said when I came in your hsospital room to tell you they only gave you six months. "In 6 months i get a miracle or in 6 months I go home. I don't lose either way, do I daddy." I knew then that the salvation you had embraced 3 months earlier had taken root, and was growing a redwood of a man. The next 6 months saw the cancer weaken slightly, then rage out of control. Sill those roots held. And in 9 months, your lungs were clear, where they had been completely involved. But the tumor continued to grow in your leg. Your faith became your sermon, and it preceeded you every where you went. But that sense of humor was still there. When your leg was amputated, your friends wanted a new nickname for you. Out of all the nominees, you chose "ILEAN". And yes I found out from a neighbor about some 1 legged daredevil climbing on the roof, crutching across it with 1/2 dozen other idiots, and jumping from the roof into the pool on the deep end when mom and I were at work. I know exactly what your response would have been: "What's it gonna do Dad, kill me?"
We quit counting around 400, the number of souls we knew had made decisions for Christ because of your testimony. We will never know the exact number, until the day He reveals it to us. But we still hear stories today of lives changed. I have lived in shame because the example you left has been hard to follow. Dad's are supposed to lead by example, and teach their sons. Yet you taught me how to walk in faith, live life in Christ, and die in faith. Your story lives on as I try to share the journey your mom and I and your brother Kevin have walked. I have added your brother Garrett into the story now. The pain we felt when you left us that Sunday afternoon was relived when Garrett took flight that morning. I could never describe it. It can only be experienced.
What do you think of Jennifer his wife? He did marry above himself didn't he! I would give anything to have seen the smiles on your faces when you saw each other at the gates. I can assure you, it will not come close to the one on MY face when I see the three of ya'll. Happy 12th Anniversary in Heaven. LOVE AND MISS YOU #1. War Eagle to you all.
DADDY
You were a lot like your mom, the older you got. You were quick thinking on your feet. You would have madE an excellent lawyer, because you could take something she or I said, take it apart, put it back together differently and make us think we said something we didn't. There were times you would say things, that though they were spot on, they could hurt. And I had hoped you would be a preacher some day. Again like your mom, singing wasn't your forte. You could sing, but not with a passion or conviction (Except for "A Country Boy Can Survive"). Your mom's dad, POP, taught you everything you knew about deer hunting. You were city on the outside, but the country side of the Martin genes came out strong in you.
Then came cancer. I will never forget what you said when I came in your hsospital room to tell you they only gave you six months. "In 6 months i get a miracle or in 6 months I go home. I don't lose either way, do I daddy." I knew then that the salvation you had embraced 3 months earlier had taken root, and was growing a redwood of a man. The next 6 months saw the cancer weaken slightly, then rage out of control. Sill those roots held. And in 9 months, your lungs were clear, where they had been completely involved. But the tumor continued to grow in your leg. Your faith became your sermon, and it preceeded you every where you went. But that sense of humor was still there. When your leg was amputated, your friends wanted a new nickname for you. Out of all the nominees, you chose "ILEAN". And yes I found out from a neighbor about some 1 legged daredevil climbing on the roof, crutching across it with 1/2 dozen other idiots, and jumping from the roof into the pool on the deep end when mom and I were at work. I know exactly what your response would have been: "What's it gonna do Dad, kill me?"
We quit counting around 400, the number of souls we knew had made decisions for Christ because of your testimony. We will never know the exact number, until the day He reveals it to us. But we still hear stories today of lives changed. I have lived in shame because the example you left has been hard to follow. Dad's are supposed to lead by example, and teach their sons. Yet you taught me how to walk in faith, live life in Christ, and die in faith. Your story lives on as I try to share the journey your mom and I and your brother Kevin have walked. I have added your brother Garrett into the story now. The pain we felt when you left us that Sunday afternoon was relived when Garrett took flight that morning. I could never describe it. It can only be experienced.
What do you think of Jennifer his wife? He did marry above himself didn't he! I would give anything to have seen the smiles on your faces when you saw each other at the gates. I can assure you, it will not come close to the one on MY face when I see the three of ya'll. Happy 12th Anniversary in Heaven. LOVE AND MISS YOU #1. War Eagle to you all.
DADDY
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