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