[Oe List ...] A Very Brief Collegium

[Herman Greene via OE]

Thanks Isobel, this is lovely.

I must say, one of my best images of bliss is of Gordon smoking his pipe
and drinking a cup of coffee with a big smile on his face.

He just had and has this way of delicate appreciation, of finding Heaven on
Earth.

Herman

On Fri, Sep 18, 2015 at 7:15 AM, Isobel A Bishop <
isobeljimbish at optusnet.com.au> wrote:

> Hello Gordon,
>
> This is a memory which has sustained me over the years.
>
> You  will recall that you and Roxanna and Jim and I were part of the first
> HDTS in Maliwada.
>
> On some occasions we had some moments to ourselves, and we used to catch
> the bus in to Aurangabad. We waited at the bus stop where a small woman
> brewed the most delicious Chai. She made it in a big brass  tea pot, and
> the buffalo milk was boiling
>
> over the gas, as she threw in a few handfuls of Chai. Since then, I have
> never been able to find the same exotic taste of Chai….!
>
> Then, when we arrived in the city of Aurangabad, you and Roxanna would go
> off to find  a hamburger, and Jim and I would find a place which made
> omelettes! Your  Pipe would always be around, too !
>
> I recall how much we all used to meet in the kitchen, and struggle to get
> ice to keep us cool, not to mention the dear little mice that used to run
> all over the flour bags -  poised to be used for chappatis...
>
> I have already mentioned our year we spent together in the Singapore
> Centrum, when Roxanna was the Supervisor of our son Peter as he  worked at
> his Correspondence School work.  This was the way he was educated from
> Australia, and Roxanna was
>
> assigned to make sure he did all his School work in the early part of the
> day, before the afternoon got so very humid…
>
> Go well dear friend.
>
> "Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end….."
>
> In love and peace,
>
> Isobel and Jim. xxxx
>
>
>
>
>
> On 15/09/2015, at 1:08 AM, Herman Greene via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Gordon,
>
> Will never forget those rides with you to the University of Chicago and
> the mandatory stop at the newstand to buy *The New York Times.*
>
> Throughout your days you have brought a keen intellect and wit to our
> fellowship and you have guided us in preserving our memories and insights.
>
> We are good at seeing death as the completion of life and a time of
> celebration, maybe not so good at the grief and suffering and being with
> the mystery of death.
>
> Oh, and you're not dead yet. You have miles to go before you sleep and
> promises to keep, promises to keep.
>
> God be with you and Roxanna and your family and with all of us as we
> journey with you. You are surrounded by love, affection and gratitude,
> certainly from me.
>
> Love,
>
> Herman
>
> On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 12:19 AM, Gordon Harper via OE <
> oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>
>> 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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>> OE at lists.wedgeblade.net
>> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> __________________________________________________
> Herman F. Greene
> 2516 Winningham Road
> Chapel Hill, NC 27516
> 919-942-4358 (ph & fax)
> hfgreenenc at gmail.com
>
>
>
> --
> __________________________________________________
> Herman F. Greene
> 2516 Winningham Road
> Chapel Hill, NC 27516
> 919-942-4358 (ph & fax)
> hfgreenenc at gmail.com
> _______________________________________________
> OE mailing list
> OE at lists.wedgeblade.net
> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
>
>
>


-- 
__________________________________________________
Herman F. Greene
2516 Winningham Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
919-942-4358 (ph & fax)
hfgreenenc at gmail.com
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