Hurricane Marco (source:  NOAA):  A true meteorological anomaly, a recurrent front of high energy and heavy rainfall.  Meteorologists believe Hurricane Marco resulted from a series of airflows from Central America and the Mediterranean, which combined to reach full force in the South Atlantic region of the US in the 1980s and 1990s.  Hurricane Marco exhibits a stable core, most often centered in Fairfax, VA, with extremely long energy trails that reach to Central America, West Africa, and into outer space.  Hurricane Marco periodically transits to Central America, returning to Virginia after several weeks.  Hurricane Marco contains such high levels of energy that it often creates sympathetic systems in its vicinity, creating significant local disturbances. Pre-Colombian Mesoamerican traditions held that unusual weather patterns such as Hurricane Marco were a blessing of the gods, in that the heavy precipitation and minor damage caused by their passage often created the conditions for more fertile harvests in the future.  Festivals were held at the peak of hurricane season every year to celebrate Marco and pray for its continued influence in the lives of the people.

We have so enjoyed getting to know you Marco in these last two years. It’s been great food and great conversations. We look forward to many more get togethers. Happy 50th.

Jen and Steve

It’s tricky to come up with “thoughts on Marco” in written form, especially as Marco exudes such a calm and content presence (in the 13 years since I’ve known him, at least) — I mean, how exciting is writing about calm and content, unless I make him sound all zen-like, which maybe he is. So, I will just say I’m glad I’ve known Marco as long as I have, and I hope to know him a good deal longer.

And by the way, “POLO”.

Rockwell

Cuando fué a visitarnos a México y tenía más o menos tenía 4 o 5 años. En el departamento nuestro estaban hospedadas tambien María y Marta Valle, hermanas de Guillermo. A Marquito le gustaban mucho las piernas de María y se deleitaba tocándoselas y un día, imagino que para conservar el sabor de las piernas de María, decidió pedirle que le regalara una media pero lo mas gracioso fué el tono sensual con que se lo pidió.

Marquito creció y cuando ya era adolescente  decidió adaptarse a la moda del momento, se dejó crecer el pelo y sin querer ofenderlo, el mismo tenía casi casi la apariencia de un trapeador. El pelo de Marquito se conviertió en una obseción para su abuela Pancha, ella pasaba mucho rato cepillándoselo y poniendole Alberto VO 5 hasta que mejoró bastante su apariencia. Através de los años, el pelo de Marquito ha sufrido multiples transformaciones en el largo, la textura y el color y todo comenzó en la adolesencia.

Las multiples etapas de la vida de Marquito estan llenas de anécdotas. Es una de las personas mas versátiles que he conocido, el siempre tuvo tiempo para disfrutar todo lo que le gustaba, correr, tocar piano, hacer poemas, leer, participar en teatro , todo además de su trabajo. En fin, ahora no creo que le sobre tiempo para todas estas cosas ya que sus horas libres y no tan libres estan dedicadas a su obra cumbre PROYECT HONDURAS, en el que ha puesto todo su empeño por ayudar a sacar adelante a nuestro querido país dando apoyo a multiples sectores  de la población en cuanto a salud, educación agua etc. No es fácil lo que Marquito está haciendo, para todos es un ejemplo  de entusiasmo dedicación y sobre todo de fé en que , si todos pusieramos el mismo empeño que él en contribuir al desarrollo de Honduras, las cosas serían muy distintas.

Felicidades Marquito en tus primeros 50 años!!!!! que Dios te bendiga siempre y te permita conservar ese entusiasmo sin límites que pones en todo lo que emprendes.

Tía Liliana

Congratulations on arriving at this milestone age! So far, you have circled the sun 50 times! Take a few moments to reflect on the joys and blessings that have come your way….then look forward to the many unfinished challenges and dreams that lay ahead.

With our love and best wishes for many more happy and healthful trips around the sun…..

Love,

John and Marilyn

Poetry in Motion

The first time I met Marco was a bit fantastical. I was 16 years old and with several girlfriends at our friend, Victor’s house for a party. “Saturday Night Fever” was in full swing, and suddenly as the Latin disco music swelled, there on the makeshift dance floor in the poolroom, was Roanoke Rapids’ very own version of Travolta! Our eyes popped, our jaws dropped – we’d never seen anything like Marco. He was a suave, sophisticated, older man (all of 21, I think!) who planned to work on the Hill and moved like grace personified – and he was wearing a suit! To our starry teenage eyes, he was pure poetry in motion and he was gliding, sliding and burning up the dance floor– with Maria!!! We all dreamed he would ask one of us for a dance and at the same time, we were horrified at the very thought. No self-respecting 16-year-old girl wants to be upstaged by a 10-year-old sister – and trust me, any one of us would have been! Our little group waited with bated breath for those fabulous Cáceres parties and our brief glimpses of the stylish, debonair Marco.

Well, I finally got that dance with Marco at my most magical of Cáceres parties – the night before my wedding to his brother, Victor. I have to say, I’ve never felt more graceful on a dance floor or happier – I was finally guaranteed a lifetime of fantastic dancing with all of the talented Cáceres men!

Marco, may you lead the next 50 years with continued style and grace, fun and fantasy, and all of the poetry your soul can dream and realize. Happy, happy birthday!

Susan

My Dance Partner

My dance partner is 50, and still moving like he was in his 20’s when he first introduced me, his little sister, to dance! I can’t count how many times we danced for guests downstairs at my parent’s house! Everyone who came over wanted Marco and Maria to dance! I thought I was so grown up and good at dancing. Now that I have my own children who give their own performances I realize that I wasn’t as good as I had once thought! Instead, Marco was the great dancer, and was the ‘cute’ little sister he showed off!

Still, that did not stop Marco from coming home with new dance routines and trying them out with me! I vividly remember Marco coming home with a new record and saying, “Maria, you have to listen to this singer…Madonna!”. He played “Borderline” and we began to disco.

About 15 years ago Marco got his permanent dance partner…Barbara! And I couldn’t be happier. I still have my fun memories…parties, weddings and, of course, the DC nightlife. To this day, when people ask if I can dance, I say, “Yes…but only with my brother who is a great dancer”. Sorry, Mario, but we just don’t have time to dance, and plus, you are 6’3”!

Marco, you are turning 50, but to me, you are the same big brother who had long hair in the 70s, who called me ‘PANZA’, liked to do SLAP on my feet, let me live with him in DC and listened to all my boyfriend issues. I looked up to you then…and now! You have been a great big brother and are a great father, husband, son and uncle!

I wish you all the happiness, good health and love-times-infinity!

Tu hermana,

Maria

Marco –

We send you our very best wishes as you celebrate a wonderful and unique half-century of living. Enjoy each day to come, continue to learn, and always remember to play. Have a joyous birthday!

Ruth and Jim Earwood

“Everyone is the age of their heart.”

– Guatemalan proverb

So I am sitting here on the day of my 50th birthday trying to put some thoughts down on paper to celebrate your 50th birthday. How did the years go so fast?! Where have they gone?!

I still remember that day in August 1973 when Papi picked us up at the airport to take us to yet another new home. He told me that there was a family from Honduras living in Emporia that had a son my age and he was waiting to meet me.  I remember thinking in my 15 year old mind how heartbroken I was having just left a new boyfriend, family and a ton of wonderful friends behind in Puerto Rico. It was like the end of the world for me. I remember thinking how am I ever going to find friends like that again or how am ever going to feel like I fit in in this small little town out in the middle of nowhere? I remember thinking that no boy from Honduras could ever make me feel any better about my “horrible situation”. Well thank God I was so wrong.

I quickly realized that you understood where I was coming from (literally!)much more than I could have imagined. We quickly realized how much we had in common . You helped me realize that it was not the end of the world and we began establishing a wonderful friendship that I will always treasure . Here are just a few of my memories of our friendship: late night conversations, dancing salsa in the den at your house to entertain our parents, bicycle rides through Emporia in the pouring down rain, helping our classmates out in Spanish class at BA, listening to Mocedades, Ruben Blades, Elton John’s “Friends”, and any other contemporary Spanish music we could get our hands on, getting together after we both left Emporia to go dancing and get caught up with each other, all the letters we wrote to each other to keep in touch after high school , the time  I gave you a ride home from Richmond one time I went to spend the weekend with my sister, the picnic in Skippers when somebody had a little fender bender, and all the dancing we did at Victor’s wedding……I’ll never forget so many people asking who was the girl in the red dress dancing with Marco!!! And of course how could I forget you driving me to the church on my wedding day! In my family it has always been a tradition for one of our male cousins to drive the bride to the church and since none of my male cousins could make it that Christmas there was no doubt in my mind who I would ask because by that time, way before that time, you were family. You were there for my wedding, you were there for the birth of my first born, and you were at the hospital with me the night that Papi passed away. I am not sure I ever told you how much it meant to me that night that you were there with us.

I felt so honored when you brought Barbara here to our house to meet us.  I was so excited to share your wedding with you. I remember thinking what a beautiful bride Marco has gotten for himself and how happy you looked by her side. I felt certain that God had blessed you both with good partners. Having you and your beautiful family at Cristina’s wedding last summer meant a lot to me too. The day would not have been complete without you all there!

50?!!!!!! Sometimes it seems that we are still kids, but then I look around and I see all that we have accomplished and I realize yes we really are 50 years old!!!!! What a milestone! Ours has been a friendship that has withstood time and distance. So it is with delight that I say I have been so truly blessed to count you as one of my dearest friends ever. I think that God was very wise for putting you in my life. Here is to 50 more years of friendship. God bless you and your beautiful family.

Un abrazote y un besote,

Tu “hermana” Margie

P.S. Just for the memories:

Elton John’s “Friends”

I hope the day will be a lighter highway
For friends are found on every road
Can you ever think of any better way
For the lost and weary travelers to go

Making friends for the world to see
Let the people know you got what you need
With a friend at hand you will see the light
If your friends are there then everything’s all right

It seems to me a crime that we should age
These fragile times should never slip us by
A time you never can or shall erase
As friends together watch their childhood fly

Happy 50^th!

My history with you is short and so will be my contribution. My part will be, to a certain extent, redundant and will echo the sentiments of entries submitted by others. So I’ll concentrate on just two items.

First, our conversations- always spirited. I hope that the passion of our beliefs, by far, has outweighed the sudden and occasional emotional outbursts!

Second, I am especially proud of the idea you turned into reality- Project Honduras. I still remember the conversation we had in the kitchen in RR…about the apathy and the myriad of reasons why programs and agencies in Honduras were so inefficient and corrupt. Instead of dwelling on the negative you decided to build by concentrating on the positive. What a perfect example of the glass-is-half-full concept. Nine years later, your grass root effort continues to grow…creating and providing a better tomorrow for those less fortunate.

For your dedication, contributions, passion, and vision, I commend you…for being a friend and my brother-in-law I consider myself fortunate.

You may never become famous but, in my book, you are already great.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Tu cunado,

Mario

What a momentous occasion. Mikael said, “Fifty! My how time flies.”

You are one of the world’s gentlemen and I am so happy to have met you, and talked to you at length on many subjects, and to have had your oh-so-loyal support for the Spanish Dance Society. There are so few like you in the world–caring, gentle and dependable.

Now you have a delightful wife, Barbara and two adorable children and a good life together. That is as life should be.

Let us hope our paths cross again one day.

With love from me and from Mikael. Have a wonderful day and a beautiful future,

Marina xxxxxxxxx

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