Dear Steve, <br><br>I don't know that we have actually met in person. However, asking me to ground my comments seems like a good way to get real. You will notice that taking the journey with Fred to his death and beyond has released all kinds of wonderful new experiences for me, ones that touch me deeply ... out of them have come my poetry and stories about life. <br>
<br>One of the joys ( and increases the longer I live) in my life has been to connect with others in a deep way, sharing values and dreams, and asking the questions that allow us each to grow and stretch. Below is a paragraph from a letter I wrote to my husband Fred as he was dying with ALS. It describes mostly the JOY part for me in caring for Fred and being a participant in his journey. The GLOBAL NEED is that our culture fragments life, particularly life and death rather than experiencing the cyclic reality of the two. Our family decision was to invite our community (and ourselves) to WALK WITH US as Fred journeyed toward and through his death. <br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">
<p class="MsoNormal">"I can imagine caring for you, until Death do us Part – I
only worry about not knowing how to do that with the necessary strength and the care that I
feel for you.<span> </span>I ask that you help
me know what you need as your life continues.<span> </span>This part of our journey together is a discovery of a
totally new kind of love – and the grand opportunity to discover letting go,
a new level of mindfulness, and many other qualities of a life of spirit.<span></span> I am grateful for having lived these many years with you." <br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">Our community did share in this journey, below is the link to the experience of one friend, Brian. <br>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.elderfred.wordpress.com" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://elderfred.wordpress.com/on-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-neighbor/">http://elderfred.wordpress.com/on-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-neighbor/</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">In community, <br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">Nancy<br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <br>
</p><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>On Sun, Jul 1, 2012 at 2:03 PM, steve har <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:stevehar11201@gmail.com" target="_blank">stevehar11201@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Dear Nancy,<br>
<br>
This is a great quote.<br>
<br>
Wondering if you can see some intersections pairs of Joy and Need,<br>
either in your own life or in other people's life.<br>
<br>
My own example's don't see so sure footed<br>
-an online team building an iPhone App for putting healthy behaviors<br>
into your ordinary world<br>
-helping a friend build a new piece on his career<br>
<br>
One inspiration for profound creativity for me is Twyla Tharpe, both<br>
her book on creativity and also this clip<br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTQ64Y9V4xY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTQ64Y9V4xY</a><br>
where she describes the process of taking a small piece of personal<br>
history and making a new dance<br>
<br>
I also like this clip of Seva Gandhi who helped design the Service<br>
Learning Program which she describes and is now leading 40 Interns in<br>
a peer learning project in ICA's Accelerate Chicago program. You can<br>
see a fragment here.<br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ1K1rt7opQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ1K1rt7opQ</a>.<br>
<br>
What I like about the program is it is for 20 Somethings picking a<br>
place and rolling up their sleeves. There are plenty of old-timers<br>
around but the 20 Somethings seem well trained and fearless.<br>
<br>
Also not so sure about earth; seems like a little loving kindness and<br>
compassion for sentient beings is good too<br>
<br>
<br>
Dear Ones,<br>
<br>
When I read Jan's comments this morning, Thomas Berry's quote came up - for<br>
me it begins to come close to a divine calling ...perhaps EARTH could be<br>
stretched to all my relations, the universe, life ....<br>
<br>
" MY GREAT WORK IS WHERE MY OWN GREAT JOY INTERSECTS WITH EARTH'S GREAT<br>
NEED" ...<br>
<br>
With love and gratitude for my colleagues who continue to raise the<br>
QUESTION (s) ....<br>
<br>
Nancy<br>
<span><font color="#888888"><br>
--<br>
Steve Harrington<br>
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