*Bright Betty, We Remember You* It is impossible for me to imagine a world without Betty Pesek. Have you ever shared an office with Betty? Betty---with a flair for adding artistry to the mundane? Just the right addition of gold, royal purple, bright red, deep blue to brighten the boring; to add sparkle to the shop-worn. Stirring up celebrations with multicolored bags and ribbons. Silently connecting with Spirit. Have you ever been in the outtbacks of the world with Betty? Betty--- with her endearing smile and the twinkle in her eye, making friends across borders. Betty, gracefully treading through dust and mud, squeezing into over-crowded busses with eagerness and grace. Part Queen, part Princess, part Trooper. Have you ever run into the Indomitable Spirit of Betty? That spirit that took on gathering stories from across the world to artfully compose the book, The Circle of Life. She sculpted raw stories into a symphony of memories of her bold colleagues laced with humor, sorrow and joy. Can you imagine the grit that it took for Betty to bring her organizing genius to the initial task of sorting through piles of yellowed papers to help forge a Global Archives project-----or to guard and sort the papers of a prolific sage, turning them over in pristine order to an institution where they can live forward in the minds and hearts of students and seekers? Have you ever identified with Bridging Betty? Born on one side of the tracks, and daring to cross over to the other? Appreciating the strengths of both sides, and using the gifts of one to meet the needs of the other. Can you imagine Betty telling her North Shore friends that she was going to take the train each day to a West Side across-the -tracks place, and therefore would not be available for tea? Can you imagine Betty recruiting these same friends for a weekend of study in a church basement, or a chance to make a safe haven for West Side children during riots, or beckoning these friends to a life of action sparking social justice? Were you gifted to know Energetic Betty in her elder years? She set the bar high for keeping going-----creating notebooks that documented the stages of her life with news clippings and photos. Creating an archive on eldering. Betty---proud Mama and Grand mama of the spirited Pesek clan; and spark plug of her circle of elders. Replacing aging with saging, and then drifting into Spirit. Daring to let go. Betty, when I think to add a touch of gold; when I'm prompted to dive into a mess to bring order; when I remember the gift of a wink and a smile; when I dare to cross bridges that might lead to dust, mud and quick sand------you are in my heart; you spark my spirit. You were there and here; and now you are everywhere. A world without the spirit of Dear Betty?Such a drab world could not exist. Elise Packard, June 2015