The Remembrance Thread

[jetstream1066]

1 month ago, my brother and I lost our dad. Feel free to raise a glass in his honor.......even if he was a Jet fan.

[Beaglebay]

Sincere condolences on your loss.

[mikiemo83]

Sorry for your loss.

[Baron Samedi]

Came close to losing a coupe of people int he last two months, but fortunately, it all worked out well enough. Still, I'd like to mention a little something.

Every year in August, a group of guys and I go to the remotest areas of Maine for a weekend and enjoy the wilderness, the company, the food, and the campfires together. it's an absolute blast and the one weekend we all look forward to every year.

Every night, weather permitting, after dinner we have a campfire and sit around it, have a few drinks, and just chat and laugh the evening away while watching for shooting stars.

I always, always take a moment to pause and appreciate it. I disengage myself from the conversation for a couple of minutes, and look at everyone around the campfire one at a time, trying to burn the memory into my mind, to remember it. I don't say anything, I just do it.

Why?

You just never know who won't be around next year, next campfire gathering.

The next time you are with friends and family, in those moments when there is no TV or distractions, where it's just you and them. Take a moment to take it all in, and appreciate it. Take a moment to create a mental home movie, something to remember them by, something that can make you smile later in life.

Campfires, cookouts, tailgating, or just sitting on the deck or in the backyard and enjoying the day is a good time to just realize how great that moment is and take it in, seer it into your memory.

It helps appreciate what we have, and those we have that make our lives worthwhile. Acknowledge it to yourself. Someday, someone there won't be there any more. It's a good time to appreciate them now, when you are having a good time, doing nothing but being there with them, rather than wait for someone to be gone.

I've got a lot of good memories doing this. I'm not sure if they would have stuck in my mind or not, but I don't think it hurts to actively focus on remembering a moment from time to time, when you have them.

[Baron Samedi]

I am very pleased to report that some family members of mine have just been notified that they will be awarded the Inaugural Cotton Fite Award this summer!

It is fitting, because Rev. Cotton was a very good friend of ours. He passed away last summer, but his memory remains with us, and I know my family members truly deserve to be the first recipients of the award in his memory.

So, with that...here's to Cotton. This will be a great summer memory in your honor.





The Rev. Dr. Robert Cotton Fite died on August 15, 2017 from a cerebral hemorrhage after a fall at home. In life, Cotton was a beloved Episcopal priest, clinical psychologist and peace activist, as well as a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, great uncle, and dear friend to many around the world. He died painlessly and peacefully, surrounded by his family and caregivers.

Cotton was a remarkable person, known for his tireless and passionate dedication to peace, justice and service, as manifest through his preaching, his counseling work, and most recently, his advocacy in support of the Palestinian cause. He was a gifted preacher who inspired others with insight, candor and soulful inquiry. His leadership, both within the communities he served and on behalf of matters in the larger world, provoked healing and change, and his legacy will continue to inspire others who work toward those goals. Cotton will be greatly missed for his thoughtful perspective on myriad issues, for his unfailing kindness and good humor, and above all, his capacity for hope.

At the time of his death, Cotton was Priest Associate at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, IL, where he had been serving for almost 40 years. He was also serving his eighth year as board chair of Seraj Library Project, an organization created to build children’s libraries in rural Palestinian villages. During his tenure at Seraj, Cotton was gratified to watch these libraries become vibrant centers of refuge and community renewal.

Cotton’s voice was valued across the ecumenical and interfaith spectrum. Working faithfully and persistently within the Episcopal denomination, he was the first convener of the Palestine Israel Network (PIN) of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship and was a longtime member of the Chicago Faith Coalition. Cotton longed for a peaceful and just resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Since 2003 when he made his first trip to Israel-Palestine, he devoted himself to active engagement in the Palestinian struggle for justice, educating, leading workshops and speaking to congregations and groups both locally and nationally on this issue. He was among the founding members of Kairos USA and supported many other initiatives in this cause, returning many times to lsrael-Palestine, where he had developed deep friendships and connections.

https://israelpalestinenews.org/rev-...tinian-rights/

Life is short,
and we do not have much time
to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us.
So be swift with love.
Make haste to be kind.
And as we go, may the blessing, the peace and the joy
of the Holy One,
who is in the midst of us
be among us and in our hearts this day and always.
AMEN.
—based on the words of Henri-Frédéric Amiel