On Monday July 11, 2011 AT 03:30 AM
in a fatal crash; Oil City, Pa lost Three
of it’s most valuable resources.
Quest Morgan-Green.
Deshawn Harris.
Reggie Brown Jr.
The most valuable resource any community
can have is it’s youth, but youth is not thee
reason these three were so valuable.
The reason is something even more precious,
something very few adults ever posess and
only those youth whom fate would make great
ever realize in their own lives before becoming
adults themselves.
Quest, Deshawn, and Reggie posessed an
outlook on life and an influance on others so
positive and strong that they changed forever any
life that happened to come under their special
brand of influance.
On first impression you probably wouldn’t have
given these boys much credit for being upstanding
citizens, most people focused on their weaknesses
and completely missed their strengths, that special
gift to the world sent by GOD himself.
But if you were brave enough, wise enough, or
fortunate enough to allow them into your life for
even a short moment; they would change the way
you saw life forever.
I have been reading and listening with much interest
over the past few days to all the stories and memories
of these three amazing youth.
Jennifer Wagner, Amanda Wagner, Crystal Markley,
and Cheyenne Paden spoke with me of their memories
of theser boys.
Jennifer remembers going to camp Boumont in Ohio
with them.
Camp Boumont is a camp for underprivilaged kids.
she remembers especialy how Deshawn was the nicest
kid there, He allways went out of his way to protect
the other kids from bullies.
Deshawn would take a stand for them whenever he
saw them being mistreated.
He did not respond to the bullies tactics in kind but
tried to talk, reason, and explain why they should not
be picking on the other kids.
If it was nesesary he would place himself physicaly
between the bullie and their victim to stop the
agression.
Jennifer said Deshawn loved his sisters and would do
whatever it took to help take care of them.
Also if you happened to be in a bad mood; Deshawn
would get right up in your face with only centimeters
between you and him and start making weird faces
and strange noises untill you could not hold it in any
longer, you could not help but bust out laughing.
If you tried to turn your face away from him he would
move right along with you keeping his face with your
face. there was no escape from his insistant
requirement of happiness for everyone around him.
Both jennifer and Amanda recall how Quest would
do crazy things to make people smile.
If you were in a room with Quest and he noticed you
were not smileing or having a good time; He would
spontasniously break into some weird dance right
in front of you and he would keep it up untill you
gave in and smiled.
Quest and Deshawn neither one could tolorate any
unhappiness in the lives of any one around them.
They felt it their personal mission in life to bring joy
and smiles to every one they met.
Reggie was not to be undone though; Jennifer and
Amanda told me about how if Reggie was hanging
with his homies, and someone got into a disagreement
or argument that Reggie would start a mock fight with
himself.
He would trip over nothing, roll around fighting with
nobody, beating up on air just making light of the
entire situation until everyone forgot what they were
arguing about and started laughing uncontrolably at
him.
All three boys had this uncany ability to zero in on
any one who was not at peak happiness no mater how
well you may have hidden it.
If one of them zeroed in on you, it was all over.
He would position himself where you would have to walk
past him, Sometimes they would work together and that
just made it all the funnier when it happened.
When you went to walk past them, they would grab hold
of you and start dancing another one of those goofie
dances, speaking loudly asking you what was going on;
why are you trying to dance with me.
They would not let you go until you turned red from
embaressment and smiled.
Crystal made a poster for them that said whenever
I see the stars I will remember you.
She said it was because whenever the boys were around
they made her believe that there was nothing she could
not do if she truly wanted to including reaching the stars.
She also remembers one day inparticular when she was
sitting on the front porch feeling down, the boys were
there and Quest and Deshawn both walked over to her
and pretended she was Santa Clause and started sitting
on her lap and hugging her and giving her their Christmas
wish list.
They would not let up until she started smiling and
laughing.
Just like any teen ager in any time period they did
have their negative moments.
But more often than not people seem to remember
them trying to make some sort of positive difference in
their community.
Cheyenne remembers Reggies brother Jarrod in school
could often be found talking about all the positive
influances he received from his older brother.
All in all these three boys; Typical teen habbits aside
made a huge positive impact in Oil City and their
surrounding community.
You could not know these boys any longer than the initial
first impression and not become a better happier person.
They would not allow any thing but happiness and joy to
survive in their pressence.
Most would not look at these boys and think “Christian”.
But from what I have learned of them the last few days,
these boys spread more of what Christ taught in their
short time here than any Christian does in a life time.
When Judgment day arrives, I believe these boys will
be among the chosen few to hear those precious words
“Well done thou good and faithful servant”.
I would personaly say “Dont cry because they are gone;
Smile because you were fortunate enough to have had
them ever so briefly in your life”.
As stated earlier, Youth is every communitys most
precious resource.
But every so often you will find embodied in one or more of
those youth : Love, Compassion, Joy, Laughter, Charity,
Protection, and the best that GOD has to offer.
Most of the time those traits go unrecognized until adulthood.
But once in a very long while tradgedy strikes, and we realize
with tears and regret that Christs gift was right here, right in
front of us all the time and we didn’t even aknowledge them.
Heavens gain is our loss.
Quest Morgan-Green, Deshawn Harris, & Reggie Brown Jr;
on behalf of Oil City and our community I tell you your efforts
were not in vain.
We will remember and pass on to our children and their children
all your wonderful gifts and love of life.
Sleep in peace my friends knowing you were a success.
When I have memories of you, they will make me smile.
I think this is what these three would tell us today in responce
to our grief.
Don’t cry because we are no longer with you; Laugh out loud
because right now, this very moment we are all three standing
right in front of you with our faces close to your faces and a Jim
Carey expression on our face and dancing the funkey chicken.
Chill Dude :P :P :P
