[Oe List ...] A Very Brief Collegium

Wed Sep 9 14:22:23 PDT 2015

   So Gordon, I have just finished re-reading your witness, and every one of the responses to date to share with you in this amazing life journey we all share.  I had to wait until I had read all the rest because I had not had the connection through all those years that others had with you, and all over the globe it seems.  It does occur to me that our first encounter may have been at one or more of those Academies in 1968 to 1970, or one of those summer Research Assemblies in 1970-71.  And after that some of those Area meetings in San Francisco, and a few brief encounters through the ToP network.

    The standout memory comes from 1992 when you and John Oyler facilitated FOOD FOR ALL’s expansion plan with 30 or 40 people from food company executives to nonprofit directors and grassroots volunteers, our Board of Directors and staff, and left us with a plan that we of course had to implement, and long-story-short, eventually led to our merger with the Food Industry Crusade Against Hunger, now called “Making Change” that has raised close to $100 million for anti-hunger and other causes. So you can add that to your list of catalytic facilitative offerings.

Linda has had more inter-actions with you through the ToP network and I am sure will be adding her comments to enter the collegium of your life-eventfulness.  Meanwhile, I’m not that far behind you.  Thanks for allowing us all to share these last few (hopefully) years with you.

Peace, Milan

P.S. I searched through all my photo archives and this is the only photo I could find of you, from Millenium Connection 2000 in Denver

Milan Hamilton

aka Mellowmilan

80 North Center Street

Redlands, CA  92373-8116

Phone/Fax: (909) 793-4482

E-mail: mellowmilan2 at gmail.com

Mellow Milan’s Musings Blog:   <http://www.mellowmilan.blogspot.com/> www.mellowmilan.blogspot.com

Mellow Milan’s Blog2:   <http://www.mellowmilansite.wordpress.com/> www.mellowmilansite.wordpress.com 

From: OE [mailto:oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Gordon Harper via OE
Sent: Thursday, September 3, 2015 9:19 PM
To: ICA/OE List Serves <dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net>; Order Ecumenical Community <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
Subject: [Oe List ...] A Very Brief Collegium

Beloved Colleagues --

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

The peace of God is yours this day --

Gordon  

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