Breakfast 19 -- Mark Macias

   “There is,” Howard Thurman, the Black theologian, said, “something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in ourselves,” and it is “the only true guide you’ll ever have.”

     "There are so many noises and competing demands in our lives that many of us never find out who we are. Learn to be quiet enough to hear the sound of the genuine within yourself so that you can hear it in other people."    Marian Wright Edelman   Commencement address Lewis & Clark College

       I gave MWE's book to six seniors a couple of days ago.  This is one of the life lessons from the book.  Mark Macias has been THE Athletic Trainer at Nerinx Hall for 18 years.  So an entire generation of students has heard the sound of the genuine from their trainer.  Coaches have come and go,  some like Emily Werner are excellent and others did not understand they were there for the athletes and not themselves.  But these wonderful athletes always had a constant,  Mark was there to cheer them,  assess their injuries and plan their rehab,  and was always a pleasant smile and a kind word to good kids in a stressful situation.  There are other people on this breakfast list who are kind and genuine,  and Mark is one of them.  He has always been friendly,  I cannot remember a single occurrence where he was not there, always ready to be supportive of Nerinx athletes.

        Mark is the real deal and I have heard the "sound of the genuine" from him on many occasions. I have seen him handle tears and season ending injuries with compassion and grace.  And I have also seen him rush to apply a bandage and tape in less than a minute,  so a player could return to the floor or pitch without missing any action.  I have probably seen Mark just a handful of times in the past 7 years, but in just those glimpses his eyes would light up, his smile would broaden and he would give me the warmest of welcomes.

        Mark and I talked about Gretchen Graf and this year's class of Seniors.  He told me that they were one of the best classes he has seen at Nerinx.  We talked about the spirit of Kylee and the compassion and caring of Deven.  We then shifted to Casey and Blair  AND MOLLY and Carolyn Mueller,  all young women we watched compete at the highest level and all of them are succeeding even more today as mothers and wives and nurses and carnivore keepers!  We agreed we were both blessed at being a small part of the lives of wonderful young women.

        During the struggles in my life,  Mark was always there telling me how much he enjoyed my coaching style.  Today he told me he really liked that I always had a passion for people.  His words were like Beyonce telling me I was a good singer, or LeBron telling me I was a good rebounder.  Mark Macias is one of the best, kindest, nicest colleague I have ever worked.   Kind words and words of appreciation from someone like Mark are gold.

        Nerinx Markers,  if you are still reading,  you should reach out to Mark on Facebook,  he still cares and loves every one of you as do I.  All of you were wonderful,  and you brought such joy to our lives.  Maybe only Mark can understand how blessed we are to see skinny little freshmen become the best in their sports by the time they are Seniors.

         And to all those student athletes,  just one simple piece of advice,  you have heard "the sound of the genuine" from your trainer.  Use it as a guide to find good friends, loyal colleagues, and kind people.