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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Oh, my, Gordon. You were supposed to live forever! And I rather suspect you will, whatever anyone says to debunk the idea of something coming after. I expect to, myself, and I expect you to
as well. What a gift you are to all of us, now and forever, to us and those who come after us. Having been through something the doctors thought to be terminal about 13 years ago, I came to terms with surrender, and when it turned out not to be fatal after
all, I remember this flash of disappointment—I had been so ready for the journey, the next adventure. After all, what hubris to think that we puny human beings, striving against that wind that blows so finely and so fiercely, are the sheer culmination of this
strange thing called “life” and “spirit”.! I doubt not at all that there is something amazing waiting to happen when we shed these earthly bonds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Expecting to see you on the other side, dear friend, whenever either of us gets there. P.s. doctors don’t know everything or I wouldn’t still be here.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";color:#080808">Susan<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#080808"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#080808">Susan Fertig-Dykes<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#080808">(personal email account)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#080808"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#080808">Please note: my personal email address has changed. Please change your contact information for me to reflect the new address, which is
<a href="mailto:SFERTIG@BLUESKYTECH.US">SFERTIG@BLUESKYTECH.US</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought . Isaiah 58:11</span></i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#080808"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#080808"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">STOP E-MAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING<br>
Protect your family and friends<br>
Please use "BCC" when sending to multiple addresses!<br>
Please delete E-Mail addresses when forwarding!<br>
Please be kind and remove my email address when you forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">NOTE:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">I won’t be offended if you ask me to remove you from my emails.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#080808"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> OE [mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Gordon Harper via OE<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, September 04, 2015 12:19 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> ICA/OE List Serves; Order Ecumenical Community<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Oe List ...] A Very Brief Collegium<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Beloved Colleagues --</span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Few of us, as the end of life approaches, get the chance to speak directly to anything like our whole community. It appears that I have
that opportunity, and I’m taking advantage of it.</span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Last week, after two months of medical testing to find out what had suddenly landed on me and drained me of my strength and usual energy,
Roxana and I got the diagnosis. It’s a rare form of fairly fast moving (typically two months to two years) leukemia, called CMML. There’s little to be done to treat it, especially in someone my age (about to be 79). I'm getting good medical care and have
a fine local support community here in Seattle.</span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">First of all, I want you all to know that I am at peace with this, as is Roxana. My life--in good part because of you--has been rich, crazy,
wonder-filled and a unique and unrepeatable journey with the Mystery. And no one knows better than you and I how to celebrate both our being here and the completion of our journeys.</span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">I am taking this rare chance to express to all of you how much you’ve meant to me over the years--as the amazing collection of individual
nobodies we are that rode out like the Man of La Mancha to throw our beings into the challenge of bending history. More than that, you all contributed your own weird and special gifts, neuroses and idiosyncrasies to the makeup of our corporate life and community,
all over the world. Without you, there’d never have been such a community; so thank you, thank you, thank you. </span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">I hope to be able to chat with at least some of you individually or collectively over the time remaining to me, through one of the dizzying
array of communication tools at hand today, and give you a little abuse. (What else would you expect from me? And please--do return the favor.) We’ll see how things work out. In the meantime, this note will have to stand for my salute to all of you, my heartfelt
gratitude for your having been and continuing to be who you are and for that remarkable webbing and mission that connects us.</span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">The peace of God is yours this day --</span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Gordon </span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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