(a draft for September 15, Saipan Tribune shared with OE) Penultimo Adios: a Collegium on dying A colleague in Washington State at 79 was diagnosed with arare case of Leukemia (CMML - Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, for the curious) and wasgiven two months to two years to battle the weak white blood cells. Norman Cousins the journalist took hisimminent demise diagnosis with laughter for a decade. We are familiar with Cecille Deion return to Las Vegas aftera year of absence to care for her husband on the last leg of a throat cancer. He is specific about his wanting to spend hislast days with the Canadian chanteuse. Judy"Sock it to me" Carne of Rowan-and-Martin's Laugh-In, drew the curtains down at 76, reminding me that I've cometo the threshold of that region where many would rather forget they are headingthat way, or fight its marks with the last drop of Pantene. We came to the Deathknell of typhoons not too long ago when swimming by the breach on the coralreef at Sugar Dock in Saipan. I foundmyself listlessly drifting to the open sea, unable to resist the ebb tide. Only the thought that I was 16 years ahead ofany mi ultima adios that I had enoughpresence of mind to bodysurf to the reef, never mind the dumping 4 ft. wavesdid to our heine at the corals! At seventy, with the Sugar Dock experience, we might havebeen over-indulging on the subject of dying too much until our colleague fromWashington sent out his penultimo adios, acollegium on the news of his Leukemia. The announcement itself was exemplary. He and his wife had made peace with the eventuality. "No one knows better than you and I how to celebrate both our beinghere and the completion of our journeys," he addressed a worldwide networkof colleagues. "I amtaking this rare chance to express to all of you how much you've meant to meover the years--as the amazing collection of individual nobodies we are thatrode out like the Man of La Mancha to throw our beings into the challenge ofbending history." Well said of thecollegial connection he was addressing that once called itself the "thecompany that cares". Putting up amirror, "you all contributed your own weird and special gifts, neurosesand idiosyncrasies to the makeup of our corporate life and community, all overthe world," he declared his gratitude, with the wry humor that he'dabusively chat with some us. "Whatelse would you expect from me? Andplease--do return the favor, " he added. Then the clasp of the weathered hand: "... my heartfelt gratitude for yourhaving been and continuing to be who you are and for that remarkable webbingand mission that connects us." Iexperienced a rush of early Daily Office memories as he concluded with thetraditional passing of the peace, perfunctory practiced by congregations, butvividly reminiscent of 6 am clasp hands going down the rows of chairs of the congregantsof which we were a part. "The peaceof God is yours this day," he intoned. Without ritesand rituals, we would not be human. While I moved away from beloved metaphors, the reality they point to remainsthe same. In the celebrative "beinghere" and the enigmatic "completion of a life's journey", thesense of compassion, the stance of gratitude, and the posture of profoundhumility abide. This week, Imoseyed over to Lino's place. Those unfamiliarwith his little piece of real estate on San Isidro, Chalan Kanoa, the shorelineis built up with hotels, high-rises, including the abandoned Emmanuel College andthe deserted Koreana in the south, and the Aquarius tower towards the SugarDock in the north next to Town House fronting Mt. Carmel Cathedral and the CKcemetery. The area is, indeed, built up save"Uncle Lino's" park. The neighboringlot south has the sand regularly machine-raked, but there are hardly anybarefoot leaving footprints on the sand. In contrast, there are always folks at Uncle Lino's place and though barksof pine trees snapped and keeled over after Soudelor, the place remains a havenfor children's gaiety, adults' guffaws, and newcomer's hilarity. The brokenmasts and hobie cats have their place in the lot, including a hugedouble-hulled catamaran hauled from Guam to be repaired and refurbished; aftertested on NMI waters, will eventually sail south to the area between Yap andChuuk along the navigational route I dubbed the Saipan-Satawalsuperhighway. Among these boats, which Lino,our Man of La Kanoa, sails to Mañagaha and back, we always find time to get thefire going to barbecue fish, seashell, pork, chicken and beef. We threw aparty for visiting guests in honor of Uncle Lino. That's when we discovered his tummy was illdisposed; he visited the hospital earlier but CHC did not find anything wrong. Neither gloomy nor bleak, Lino understoodtoo, not unlike my brief encounter at the coral stone breach, it was toopremature to write the Obit. I dropped in onLino the following day to check how he was doing. He was sweeping the floor on his trailer. There was clearly one young man of 75 up andabout. j'aime la vie yesterday, appreciate; tomorrow, anticipate; today, participate! in all, celebrate! -----Original Message----- From: via Dialogue <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> To: dialogue <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> Sent: Thu, Sep 10, 2015 3:09 am Subject: Dialogue Digest, Vol 42, Issue 6 Send Dialogue mailing list submissions to dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to dialogue-request@lists.wedgeblade.net You can reach the person managing the list at dialogue-owner@lists.wedgeblade.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Dialogue digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: A Very Brief Collegium (Dawn Collins via Dialogue) 2. Re: A Very Brief Collegium (Dawn Collins via Dialogue) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2015 10:12:40 -0700 From: Dawn Collins via Dialogue <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> To: ICA/OE List Serves <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>, Order Ecumenical Community <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net>, Gordon Harper <gharper1@gmail.com> Cc: "dialogue@wedgeblade.net" <dialogue@wedgeblade.net> Subject: Re: [Dialogue] A Very Brief Collegium Message-ID: <1441732360.45996.YahooMailBasic@web140005.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Dear Gordon, Roxana and family, As I am new to sending email to OE community, please know that my intentions are to follow the corporate stream of consciousness in response to Gordon's [Dialogue) A Very Brief Collegium. After witnessing the recent passage of my mom through the door that opens to receive one in the final arc of the circle on the journey of a completed life; we give thanks to our Creator for giving us the means to admit "the three strange angels"at that door. I did not know you well, Gordon but you left a lasting impression on me of a temperate spirit and compassionate soul which was manifest in your calm demeanor even unto deep intentionality for the overarching mission down to the mundane details that signified a good deed done. I find it a little unexpected that you are giving comfort and solace to your colleagues as you share your reflections at this juncture in your journey. May we all anticipate the celebration of transition with reverence, awe and joy. "And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus". (Philippians 1:6) And I lift up this verse from "A Charge to Keep I Have". "To serve the present age, My calling to fulfill: O may it all my powers engage To do my Master's will". And again, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure". (Philippians 2:13) Thank you, Gordon for allowing us to accompany you on your journey while we respond to the Call of the Mystery creating History while abiding with us. Grace & Peace, Dawn Collins (formerly Lingo) "We love Him, because He first loved us". --------------------------- On Thu, 9/3/15, Gordon Harper via Dialogue <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: Subject: [Dialogue] A Very Brief Collegium To: "ICA/OE List Serves" <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>, "Order Ecumenical Community" <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> Date: Thursday, September 3, 2015, 10:19 PM 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 ? -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2015 10:12:40 -0700 From: Dawn Collins via Dialogue <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> To: ICA/OE List Serves <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>, Order Ecumenical Community <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net>, Gordon Harper <gharper1@gmail.com> Cc: "dialogue@wedgeblade.net" <dialogue@wedgeblade.net> Subject: Re: [Dialogue] A Very Brief Collegium Message-ID: <1441732360.45996.YahooMailBasic@web140005.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Dear Gordon, Roxana and family, As I am new to sending email to OE community, please know that my intentions are to follow the corporate stream of consciousness in response to Gordon's [Dialogue) A Very Brief Collegium. After witnessing the recent passage of my mom through the door that opens to receive one in the final arc of the circle on the journey of a completed life; we give thanks to our Creator for giving us the means to admit "the three strange angels"at that door. I did not know you well, Gordon but you left a lasting impression on me of a temperate spirit and compassionate soul which was manifest in your calm demeanor even unto deep intentionality for the overarching mission down to the mundane details that signified a good deed done. I find it a little unexpected that you are giving comfort and solace to your colleagues as you share your reflections at this juncture in your journey. May we all anticipate the celebration of transition with reverence, awe and joy. "And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus". (Philippians 1:6) And I lift up this verse from "A Charge to Keep I Have". "To serve the present age, My calling to fulfill: O may it all my powers engage To do my Master's will". And again, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure". (Philippians 2:13) Thank you, Gordon for allowing us to accompany you on your journey while we respond to the Call of the Mystery creating History while abiding with us. Grace & Peace, Dawn Collins (formerly Lingo) "We love Him, because He first loved us". --------------------------- On Thu, 9/3/15, Gordon Harper via Dialogue <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: Subject: [Dialogue] A Very Brief Collegium To: "ICA/OE List Serves" <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>, "Order Ecumenical Community" <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> Date: Thursday, September 3, 2015, 10:19 PM 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 ? -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net ------------------------------ Subject: Digest Footer _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net ------------------------------ End of Dialogue Digest, Vol 42, Issue 6 ***************************************