[Dialogue] Helen Newkirk

[Jack and Louise Ballard]

Dear Newkirk Family and Friends,

We are so sad to learn about Helen's condition.  Oh, my, the amazing
memories we carry of Helen and Bill.  Jack and I were a couple of young
naive interns who showed up at the Decalceolate Carmelite Monastery at 4th
and Rhode Island Ave. DC on January 1, 1971.  How could we have been
prepared for the likes of Helen Newkirk?  She and Bill (and Linda who was
attending U of Md) were priors and there was a youth component, including
Larry Philbrook.  Needless to say, it was a very lively place.  Helen was
the most irrepressible person I'd ever met. That is putting it mildly.  Her
question was always:  Is it MISSIONAL?  Will it get the MISSION
accomplished?  It was always about the mission.  Her very favorite saying
was "That's no problem".  No matter how large or small the issue, to Helen
it was simply "No problem."  I remember her telling the story that she and
Bill never cancelled an event just because of the weather.  You could always
figure out a way to have a picnic!  Do you remember the hours we spent in
the Collegium Room (the large end of the basement) covering those damp and
crumbling walls with burlap?  Bill apparently had a contact through the
Forest Sevice to get us burlap that is usually wrapped around the ball of
trees.  Days and days were spent stapling the walls with burlap and it
worked well enough to keep the moisture out and the walls together.  Many
Odysseys and area events as well as daily life went on in that room.  I
think no one realized what hit them when they first encountered this truly
spirit-filled woman.  She seemed unflappable.  We are always grateful that
Bill and Helen were selected to stand for the order at our Chris' baptism
after he was born that year in DC.

Helen has always continued to be the one with the big smile, the sparkle in
her eye, the one full of optimism. Please send our hugs, our prayers and our
love to Helen as she makes this Great Transition.

Our love and prayers go to the family as well:  Linda, Jim, Patricia, Lisa
and David and all the family members.

Louise and Jack Ballard
  -----Original Message-----
  From: dialogue-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net
[mailto:dialogue-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net]On Behalf Of Carol Crow
  Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2013 10:43 AM
  To: Colleague Dialogue; Order Ecumenical Community
  Subject: [Dialogue] Helen Newkirk


  Dear Friends,


  I have been asked by Patricia to forward this letter from her sister,
Linda Knutsen.  Helen lives with Linda and Lester in Virginia, (DC area) and
is nearing the end of her life.  They would love to hear stories from any of
you who have lived with Helen and Bill - please send them to
ljknutsen at gmail.com.  The family will read them to Helen and share with each
other.  Patricia leaves this afternoon to share these last days with the
family.  By evening Lisa will also have arrived.  Dave and girls are already
there and Jim will not be able to come from Serbia but was here last summer.
Other extended family are there and arriving.


  Attached is a letter Linda sent out earlier this week.


    Subject: Update on Mom/Helen - Feb 1, 2013

    Reply-To: ljknutsen at gmail.com



    Hello everyone,

    I am sorry that I haven't kept you all in the loop more frequently on
how Mom is doing...it has been a good, but challenging month.

    As anticipated, Hospice has been just simply wonderful, and has made
this last few weeks so much more manageable than I could have imagined.
While Mom continued for most of January to make her way, usually on her own,
out into the living room into her recliner to watch her favorite shows,
record her life stories, read, or just hang out, her strength steadily
declined. Thankfully, we have gotten her pain well under control, and she
claims to have little to none. Starting last Saturday for 4 nights she
'traveled' all night long, talking constantly for most of 7 hours (!) with
family members and some strangers in all corners of the globe. These
episodes were mostly typical, illogical dreams with memories woven in, and
were often quite funny! I have many quotes from those nights that I have
shared with my siblings, and we have laughed and laughed!  My favorites are:

    "Oh, this is just terrible...my tacos are FREEZING!" ...and...
    "LINDA, JUST TELL ME WHAT THE PLAN IS!" (yes, very loudly!)

    We have lots of family help here now to be with her. She has slept well
for the past two nights with little dream-talking, and her spirits are
excellent. Her humor and her intellect are most definitely intact! But she
can no longer bear any weight, and sleeps most of the time. She slept nearly
15 hours yesterday after her 4 days of 'traveling' and even then was still
quite tired. But today she was quite responsive and interactive, though for
very short periods between naps.

    She is ready to 'go home' and quite at peace with the most **amazing**
life she has had, and she has SO enjoyed hearing from all of you, her
***MOST*** amazing hoard of much-loved, far-flung, wild and wonderful
friends and family.

    Many of these I mention are gathering here as I type to wish her yet
another blessed journey, and she will definitely be thinking of all of you,
near and far. (As I write this I realize that neither she nor I have checked
her email for maybe a week or more, so I will do that now and share with her
all your loving communications.)

    Love and peace,
    Linda



  Thank you for sharing in this special time in the Newkirk family.In caring
community,


  Carol Crow
  Patricia's Housemate in Bothell, WA
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