In Memory of Marshall Daniel Mo Potter August 16th - December 22, 2002 Eulogy on December 24th, 2002 Spoken by Sister Annette Allain, LSA (Laurie’s aunt) “This Christmas Eve will always be remembered as the day we, as a Christian community of believers in God, came together to pray our earthly farewell to our dearly loved, four-month old Marshall Daniel Mo Potter. Is this a sad day? YES. Is this a day of rejoicing? YES. This little coffin before us is white, which signifies purity, which reminds us of the Resurrection which is promised us. WHY? Because God has blessed Mark and Laurie with the "extra-ordinary" miracle of Life - the most beautiful gift of Marshall. This puts the Christmas season in perspective. This miracle helps us to understand the joy that Mary and Joseph felt in Jesus' birth. It also helps us to understand their sorrow when he died. Marshall, however, was so much younger than Jesus. We must believe that God felt he accomplished his life's mission in such a small span of time. Jesus' mission lasted thirty-three years - Marshall's mission was complete in only four months. For us, Marshall's life was too short. Yet in God, Life IS an Eternity. There is no time of seconds, minutes and hours in God. God IS Life - we have touched God - rather, God has touched us so very deeply through Marshall. HOW? Through Love. God IS Love! Let us never forget that GOD IS LOVE. Love and God can never be separated. Laurie, Mark and Marshall can and will never be separated. Last night I had the opportunity to spend some time at Laurie and Mark‘s, with Louise and Jack, Caroline and Casey and Mark's brother Dan. Mark and Laurie have received some story books from friends along the way. I'd like to read from one of them entitled, The Angel With the Golden Glow. It's all about God surrounded by His little cherubs and telling them that He has a very special mission for one of them - that it will be a very short mission, and a very important one. ‘The cherubs started jumping up and down, waving their hands, hoping to be chosen! An angel's purpose is to spread Love, Joy, Hope and Healing. Each knows it is a privilege to do God's work.’ Our little Angel, Marshall, did his work well. He will be remembered by most of us for the gift of his smile - the gift of his beautiful blue eyes - the ability to warm our hearts with Love. He had an unusual ability to maintain eye contact in such a way that he seemed to be in touch with one's very being - immediately he shone that smile and everyone around him felt warm. ‘Whenever there was sadness, he shone his halo so brightly that the sadness disappeared. It magically turned into love . . . . and his home overflowed with love.’ Doesn’t this sound familiar? God has also blessed us with so many other angels - let me name a few . . . . ~ The angels like Marks’s employer and colleagues who gave of their own vacation days, personal days and more to enable Mark to be home without the worry of a paycheck. God is good! ~ The angels that cooked meals, brought goodies and cleaned your home. God is good! ~ The angels in health care from Hospice and Early Intervention who shared their expertise and supported Mark and Laurie. God is good! ~ The angels from Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy who shared information and their own personal experiences. God is good! ~ The family of many angels from both your families and friends who have been with you. God is good! ~ The praying angels throughout the world who have been united in prayer - many of whom we will never meet personally. God is good! ~ The many angels we don’t know the ways in which they have been present . . . they are there too. God is good! ~ The angels here within your church community who have supported you in so many ways: your dear Pastor - and today those who are providing the meal for after the service. God is good! ~ Above all, Laurie and Mark, little do you know that you too, are God’s angels in having learned the meaning of unconditional love. You have been an inspiration to the rest of us! God has blessed you with an ability to face life honestly and truthfully. You could have run away from this experience, yet you hung in there together. When you took your wedding vows, you said: For better or worse . . . .in health and sickness. . . .Little did anyone know that it would be the sickness of your child. Keep on hanging in there together during this next part of your journey. God is good! ~ Last but not least, there are the heavenly angels that have gone before us . . . grandparents, great grandparents - and especially Laurie’s dad, our beloved Mo - who, as Louise said, has welcomed Marshall with a cowboy hat and a pony. God knows where they will trot now!!! God is good! Being in Laurie and Mark’s home is like being in a meditation room. Quotes and poetry hang throughout the home that speak of their experience - that speak of the experience of their hearts. There is one in particular that touched me. ‘There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than 10,000 tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contribution, and of unspeakable love.’ ~Washington Irving WE ARE POWERFUL! The one thing I have always loved about our family is that the guys are not afraid to cry. In this way, they are very counter-cultural because in our society, crying is often seen as weakness. And so, after reading this quote, the words ‘More power to ya’ will never be heard the same again. Keep on crying everyone! More power to ya! Before concluding with a final poem, I want to share a little family secret. Last night I learned that a little box of mementos was placed in Marshall's coffin. Each person who wanted to put a little something in the box was welcome to do so. When Laurie opened the box to add something, she noticed a penny in there. Thinking that it was surely a mistake, she removed it. Later on, strangely enough, it was back in the box. She later found out that Mark had put the penny in there. When she asked him why, he replied ‘I wanted to make sure he had some money with him, in case he had to pay his way into the Pearly Gates!’ Finally, Louise shared a poem with me last night that goes along with a little story. There was a man at the airport who was saying goodbye to his son and as they hugged, he said ‘I wish you enough’. A woman who overheard their conversation was puzzled by this and asked the man what he meant by that. He told her that in their family, this is their way of greeting each other, and explained: I wish you Enough I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough ‘hello’s’ to get you through the final ‘goodbye’. Laurie and Mark, we assure you of ongoing prayerful support for the days ahead. We know that Marshall and Mo and all of the heavenly angels with God will bless you in abundance for ‘Nothing can separate us from the Love of God.’ (Romans 8) For sure, God is saying to Marshall: ‘In you, my child, I am well pleased.’ And for sure, God is saying to you: ‘In you, my children, I am so very well pleased.’ God Bless you both.” ~Sister Annette Allain, LSA December 24, 2002 "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.