An example of an abundant life

Last week a dear friend of ours was in a car accident and died as a result of injuries. We met Marcus in 1999, when he and his friend Lindsay began coming to Cottonwood. Marcus had suffered a broken neck in a car accident in 1994 and was paralyzed, from the chest down. He lived in a wheel chair, and had very little use of his hands. Marcus became a very special friend to our family, as did his friend Lindsay. Below is a portion from the obituary in the Abilene Newspaper

"Marcus was born on January 12, 1970 in Ft. Wainwright, Alaska to Rufus Warren Edwards, Sr. and Janet Kay Edwards. Marcus grew up in Lampasas and graduated from Lampasas High School. As a life-long learner, Marcus had earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Tarleton State University, a Master of Education, as well as a Master of Arts from the University of Houston. Marcus was an advocate for people with disabilities. His desire was always to motivate and inspire others to reach their highest potential.
Marcus was a member of Beltway Baptist Church and served on the Board of Abilene Hope Haven. While living in Houston he also served on the City of Houston's council for people with disabilities. Marcus had been working with IntelliGEN AR, since 1994, first as a participant and later as a volunteer consultant. IntelliGEN AR is an organization that helps others who are paralyzed to regain their health and function. Marcus was the living embodiment of what it is to help others while himself living an extraordinary and productive life."

Marcus really did live his life in a way that inspired others. After his initial accident, Marcus became a very depressed and bitter person, but he was eventually able to work through the anger and depression. Soon after we met Marcus, he shared that he had given his life to Jesus. He sat up all night and listened to a song, "In the Arms of Love", and he became convinced that God does love him and has a plan for him. From that time, Marcus lived his life with joy and excitement. He was fun and interesting and we loved having him as an honorary part of our family, and Lindsay as well.





My husband, Les took him on a men's camp out. Because of poor circulation, Marcus was very sensitive to the cold, so Les sat his wheelchair very close to the campfire, so close that his shoes began to smell like burning leather! Marcus and Lindsay came on a family picnic at the Lake and Les insisted that Marcus should ride in the boat. We tried to convince Les that it was too dangerous, but he had a plan. I could just imagine the news that night, "Quadriplegic drowns in boating accident", and everyone in the state would say, "What was a quadriplegic doing riding in a boat?" The answer would be that his friends put him in it. Finally, Marcus told Les that he really did not want to ride in the boat. That was one of the few things that Marcus did not want to do. He lived his life fully.
He and Lindsay were married in 2000, and began a life journey together. Their love for each other was inspiring. Lindsay made the difficult decision to marry a man who would be in a wheelchair the rest of his life and she would be not only his wife, but his primary caretaker. She did that with so much love, and so much joy. Five years ago, Marcus purchased a van that was altered for him to drive. This gave him great independence. Last week, he failed to make a turn and drove off the road and hit a tree. The cause of the accident is not known. What we do know, is that now Marcus is in heaven, running, dancing, maybe even swimming with full use of legs and arms, safely "in the arms of love".