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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Dear Jack and Louise<br>
<br>
It was a great time.<br>
<br>
Sent my remembrances direct to Linda and Jim<br>
<br>
With Bill and Helen and all of our community my growing up
experience would have been quite different,<br>
<br>
Thank you all<br>
<br>
With love and respect, Larry<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">Lawrence Philbrook, Certified ToP Facilitator
Director, Institute of Cultural Affairs Taiwan
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.icatw.com">www.icatw.com</a> Tel: 8862-2871-3150 Fax: 8862-2871-2870
Skype: icalarry</pre>
On 2/6/2013 9:36 AM, Jack and Louise Ballard wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:%3CKAEPJCHPCIOJOJKNFBIBKEJBDJAA.ballardica@gmail.com%3E"
type="cite">
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013">Dear Newkirk Family and Friends,</span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013"></span></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013">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. </span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013"></span></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013">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.</span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013"></span></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013">Our love and prayers go to the
family as well: Linda, Jim, Patricia, Lisa and David and
all the family members.</span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013"></span></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#0000ff"><span
class="484510601-06022013">Louise and Jack Ballard</span></font></div>
<blockquote style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr" class="OutlookMessageHeader" align="left"><font
face="Tahoma" size="2">-----Original Message-----<br>
<b>From:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net">dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net</a>
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net">mailto:dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net</a>]<b>On Behalf
Of </b>Carol Crow<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Sunday, February 03, 2013 10:43 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Colleague Dialogue; Order Ecumenical Community<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Dialogue] Helen Newkirk<br>
<br>
</font></div>
Dear Friends,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>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 <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:ljknutsen@gmail.com">ljknutsen@gmail.com</a>.
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.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Attached is a letter Linda sent out earlier this week.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:
Helvetica; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-SIZE: medium"><b>Subject: </b></span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: medium"><b>Update
on Mom/Helen - Feb 1, 2013</b><br>
</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:
Helvetica; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-SIZE: medium"><b>Reply-To: </b></span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: medium"><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:ljknutsen@gmail.com">ljknutsen@gmail.com</a><br>
</span></div>
<br>
<div>Hello everyone,<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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:<br>
<br>
<span style="WHITE-SPACE: pre" class="Apple-tab-span"></span>"Oh,
this is just terrible...my tacos are FREEZING!" ...and...<br>
<span style="WHITE-SPACE: pre" class="Apple-tab-span"></span>"LINDA,
JUST TELL ME WHAT THE PLAN IS!" (yes, very loudly!)<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.)<br>
<br>
Love and peace,<br>
Linda<br>
<br>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
Thank you for sharing in this special time in the Newkirk
family.In caring community,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Carol Crow</div>
<div>Patricia's Housemate in Bothell, WA</div>
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