As I drove around one morning, my radio began to play a random song from a British band called The Zutons. Instantly my mind wandered back in time, about ten years, to a man who made a vast and profound impact on my life, a man who encouraged me to dream big and pursue those dreams. A man who inspired childlike joy and creativity in everybody he knew. A man I am honored to have called a friend and mentor. That man is Mark Esposito.
Mark was the son of a famous Marvel comic illustrator, Mike Esposito but to those who knew him, Mark was a father figure, a friend, and a strong Christian.
Mark was a business partner at a marketing agency my design firm shared space within the early 2000s. When I think of Mark, I recall one of the first interactions I had with him. In my first week in business, Mark walked into my office, smiled, extended his arms wide to his left and right, and said, “Come here!” I looked at him and said, “What?” Being Asian, I grew up like many others who share my ethnicity, in a home void of physical affection and focused on business, success, and material things.
Mark again said, “Come here, Jonnathan!”
I again hesitated and asked him, “What do you want?”
You see, Mark was a big guy, my estimate was at least 6’ 3”, probably 280 pounds, and had an abnormally large wingspan for his height.
Mark smiled and said, “I felt God prompt me to come in and give you a hug. So here I am.”
You see, I would learn later that Mark was a man who lived with great convictions, a man with a beautiful relationship with God, and was extremely obedient when he heard God prompt him to do something.
Hesitantly, I stood up and gave Mark a half hug; as I tried to retreat to my seat, Mark wrapped his giant arms around me and said, “God told me that you grew up in a broken home and that your father wasn’t much of a father. He asked me to tell you, that if you ever need a father to listen, provide sound advice, or just give a hug, come to me. God loves you so much Jonnathan, and I am here for you, for anything.”
Mark gave me a father’s blessing. Even though he was, at the time, a man I barely knew, emotions flooded my heart, and tears began to flow. I answered him with a simple, “Ok, thank you.”
He smiled, cracked a joke, and went back to his office. I closed my office door and cried for what felt like an eternity. Over the next five years, I spoke with Mark countless times, seeking his guidance on life, and advice about church, friends, business, and women. He was always there to listen, and as he promised, he always gave sound advice.
In Psalms 68, God states that He is a Father to the Fatherless. Mark was the perfect example of how to be God-like, childlike, and a father to those needing a father.
Years after “The Hug”, the world lost Mark to cancer, but his legacy still lives on through the lives of those blessed enough to have known him, God’s gentle giant.
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