A Tribute to Allyson Hope Martin

I need to put my thoughts down on something that has been on my mind throughout the Holiday Season and particularly the month of January...

January 6, 2009, marked the one year anniversary of the passing of my dear sister Allyson Hope Martin. For the first time since the actual funeral, I went to the grave-site. I think subconsciously I had been avoiding the pain and sadness associated with missing a loved one by pushing it to the back of my thoughts and staying away from her grave. Sure enough, uncontrollable emotions and a flood of memories came the second I stepped onto that plot. Tears came...but they were tears of happy memories and of someone I felt especially close to during the Christmas season. Ally was a special spirit that will surely be missed by those she left behind and I thought it appropriate to pay tribute to her memory at this time of year when it is so poignantly present.

Ally's life was one of trial. Hers was a unique situation where she was completely and acutely aware of what earthly blessings she was denied because of her physical state and circumstances far beyond her control. It must have been unimaginably difficult to watch her younger siblings surpass her in physical size, attend college, pursue dreams, find love, bear children, etc. There must have been times when she felt lonely, ignored, and overwhelmed. Yet Ally was a picture of unwavering, perfect faith in our Heavenly Father and the plan for His children. I know that I would not have been able to handle those circumstances with the infectious smile that so often graced her face. She lived and loved to the best of her ability and I think that is more than can be said for many of us.

I fully believe that Ally was sent here to be a blessing and a gift to those she would come in contact with. She is now finished with her time on Earth and is without a doubt enjoying those freedoms she longed for in her limited physical state.

May we all remember fondly the life of our wonderful sister Ally and take with us the lessons she came to teach. My only wish is that my wife and future children could have known her. Someday, they will. In the meantime, I hope they will be able to feel her through the things she taught to me.

In loving memory of Allyson Hope Martin.