Mr. Martin Was The Man!

Uncle Bubba got the sad news that a very special person in his life had succumbed to cancer. It had been a long time since he'd seen the man, yet he was quite often in Bubbie's ear imparting wisdom by way of vignettes told in his childhood for he was a mentor to Uncle Bubba as a boy. Mr. Martin was little Bubbie's Webelos Scout Leader and then the Assistant Scout Master in Boy Scout Troop 234. For the uninitiated, a Webelo Scout is one step above a Cub Scout and not yet old enough to be a Boy Scout; usually for 4th and 5th graders. So it's fair to say that Mr. Martin has been a lifelong friend and mentor to Bubbie. To Uncle Bubba he was a role model and the examples and the lessons that he learned from him have lasted a lifetime. Only with the passage of time can one discover that Mr. Martin's consistency in character, his smile and pleasant demeanor, his compassion, dedication, and enthusiasm to help others were constant qualities that when found in one person is so rare. He is missed but the world is a better place for him being in it. God Bless Mr. Martin.

It was a warm and sunny day. Uncle Bubba sat in the shade just outside of his garage door working on a wood carving project, pondering the passing of his friend. There have been several older people that have passed recently in Bubbie's life but this time it was different. Mr. Martin was the type of person that we all hope to be. He was involved in is community and invested his time in others. As it sinks in that he will no longer be around the burden of the world fell on Uncle Bubba's shoulders. With the passing of this generation, his parents generation, the care of the world is now ours. We haven't done too well so far have we. It's turned upside down because we let it. We've sat around expecting people like Mr. Martin to take care of everything. In Bubbie's view we have a long way to go but if we'll just start and each do a little bit, the world will begin to turn again. Take 5 to put someone else first. Smile. Say a kind word. We owe it to Mr. Martin who did it everyday of his life. We owe it to each other everyday of our lives. We owe it to the children, grandchildren, and unborn great grandchildren everyday of their lives.