What we lived and shared and had, will never be for some.
We are very blessed…
Welcome to our Life and Times with Michael J.
UPON this ROCK: The Story on His Monument
The picture in the upper left is St. Michael the Archangel. In the bible he is known for rescuing the souls of the faithful from the powers of evil at the hour of death. We feel that he was very busy that day delivering 2 angels to heaven. It should also give peace to everyone trying to wrestle with the events of that day,to know that St. Michael is the judge that everyone must face in the final hour. Michael J’s nickname was superman, and he had a reputation for trying to do things people said he couldn’t. He is pictured in his Georgia Bulldog visor; his dad attended UGA and the 3 of us took yearly trips to Athens to see the Dawgs play. Often we stayed in Elberton,Ga., the monument capitol of the world. He had said “Dad when we die, we need to get our tombstone from here”. Sadly he got his first. Not only the Rock (blue granite), but the elaborate artwork on it (that many said was impossible) was done by a woman from there. His father is Michael Joseph Lawrence Martin, a name given to his dad by his grandfather to pass on to his son. Not wanting to make his son a junior, he named him Michael J. Unfortunately, in only the third generation, the line has ended. This cross represents the heavenly gift that bonded the hearts of Mike and Bonnie for so many wonderful years, and the commitments to faith they try to pursue.
The picture at the bottom is a story of his life. We have tried to preserve forever a beautiful moment in time, with Michael J wearing his number 6 varsity jersey, which he so proudly earned, playing in a field of dreams, scoring on a goal that also is a skate ramp; skating was a talent he was also very proud of. He was supposed to get his sponsorship that Saturday, but instead we see him jumping his way into heavenly stardom. The carefree happy young man you see is a memory we wanted to keep for all his friends, forever.
The mountains in the background remind us of our fondest camping trips together. When we would travel, he was quick to note the 3 crosses you see across the country. Our last and most memory full trip was 2 weeks before his passing. It was a trip of unexplained urgency, intense enjoyment, and memories. One we had always talked about and never done. The mountains with cliffs in the center, is Hanging Rock, NC, the site of the last sojourn. We recall the trepidation as we ascended those cliffs, with the fear that someone could slip and fall. Also though, we remember the stories and times where we made a heavenly bond as a family, and the peace that we felt there.
Michael J was fond of deer, and now we often see them when we are alone, and many have his face. You see his Dad (buck) and Mom (Doe) with their son in close watch. They never let him stray far, until that day. His first genesis was his last. You also see his brother and sister (spike and doe on the left), who although they were on their own now, were never far and always stayed close. You even see trees from the mountains and trees from the plains. So many places we remember. Looking at the stars in the sky ; on the left you see the big dipper, his favorite constellation to point out. You also can see Scorpio (middle), his zodiac sign. On the right is the North Star. There are 16 stars, one for each year of his life; The shooting star that he became would have made 17, his birthday unattained. All the while Michael’s Moon, (from an actual photo) looks down over all…
We are very thankful to his friends and mates who worked through their sorrow and pain, to create this beautiful scene. We assume that when we see him and Andy again in haven, it will be such a glorious place. One of our young friends said, “I heard that God takes the good people to heaven first, so they can get the place ready for the rest of us.” We look forward to that beautiful day when we can all be together again.