LOUISE EMERSON BROOKS - REST IN PEACE AND RISE IN GLORY

From Susan Russell, whose wife, Louise Emerson Brooks, died Sunday, September 2, 2012 after a long battle with cancer.

There are no words to express the depths of our gratitude for your words of support and love for us and in tribute to Louise's extraordinary life. We will celebrate her life with a service at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Saturday, September 8th at 11am with a reception to follow. Please come prepared to grieve her loss, celebrate her life -- and to tell stories about the part of Louise Emerson Brooks that touched your life. That is quite literally what she said she wanted -- as the producer in her was very clear that she wanted a "production credit" for the liturgical celebration of her life. For more details call All Saints at 626.796.1172.  Here's my new-and-improved 2.0 version:

For those who have asked about memorial gifts, two of the great passions of her life were the work of LGBT inclusion and the work of animal rescue. Contributions to Integrity will help support the distribution of her latest documentary "Voices of Witness: Out of the Box" and contributions to Husky Camp will support the ongoing Siberian Husky Rescue that brought us our beloved Luna and Juno.

Integrity USA in memory of Louise Brooks
http://integrityusa.org/
838 East High St. #291 Lexington, KY 40502

Husky Camp -- Siberian Husky Rescue
http://www.HuskyCamp.com/
SHRRCA
303 Cameo Dr.,
Danville, CA 94526

I met Susan Russell at GC2009.  The next year, I had the pleasure of meeting both Louise and Susan in New Orleans when Susan gave a speech sponsored by the New Orleans Chapter of Integrity and Human Rights Campaign at Trinity Church.  I was amongst the guests at a dinner in their honor and was fortunate to be seated at the same table with Susan and Louise and enjoyed their company and conversation immensely.  I teased Louise that, although I find it difficult to remember names, I would have no problem remembering hers since it was the same as the silent movie star.  Many would not recognize the reference, but Louise knew of whom I spoke. Louise had a sharp wit, which she sometimes expressed in throwaway-lines with a dead-pan expression, so you had to be quick to appreciate how wonderfully clever and funny she was.

Below is a picture of Louise, me, and Susan after Susan's speech.

May Louise rest in peace and rise in glory. May God give comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding to Susan and to all who love Louise.

UPDATE: Louise's obituary in the Pasadena Star News. 

GOD DID NOT CAUSE THE DEATH OF JESUS

God surely anticipated that a person like Jesus would be killed by an order established on violence, but God did not kill Jesus, or require his death, or manipulate others into sacrificing him.  God may have found a way to triumph over this crime, but God did not cause it.  Jesus was killed by the definite plan and aforethought of the Powers, as the New Testament writers clearly state.

Walter Wink - Engaging the Powers, p 110

Picture from Wikipedia.

MISSING YOU, MARILYN - 50 YEARSAGO TODAY

"In remembrance of Marilyn Monroe who died on August 5th 1962...fifty years ago"



krisbkk says in the accompanying notes at YouTube:

Most of the song in the film is Monroe's own voice but she needed help in two phrases -- "These rocks don't lose their shape, diamonds are a girl's best friend", and at the beginning with a series of high-pitched "no's", all of which were dubbed in by the soprano Marni Nixon.

The song was listed as the 12th most important movie song of all time by the American Film Institute.

Monroe's rendition of the song has been considered an iconic performance and has since been copied by other entertainers ranging from Madonna and Kylie Minogue to Geri Halliwell, Anna Nicole Smith and Thalia.

Thanks to Doug.

R. I. P. NORA EPHRON

Obituary in the New York Times.

Nora Ephron, the essayist, author and filmmaker who challenged and thrived in the male-dominated worlds of movies and journalism and was loved, respected and feared for her wit, died on Tuesday of leukemia. She was 71.
....

She was tough on others — Bernstein's marital transgressions were immortalized by the horndog spouse in "Heartburn," a man "capable of having sex with a Venetian blind" — and relentless about herself. She wrote openly about her difficult childhood, her failed relationships, her doubts about her physical appearance and the hated intrusion of age.
....

Her screenwriting credits included "Heartburn," the nuclear power drama "Silkwood" and the romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally ..." She twice directed the team of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, in "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail," and also worked with John Travolta (in the fantasy "Michael"), Steve Martin ("Mixed Nuts") and Nicole Kidman ("Bewitched").

I remember reading Heartburn and thinking, "Wow!  Go get him, girl!" Nora was pregnant, for crying out loud!  

Thank you, Nora, for making us laugh and making us cry.  We will miss you.  

Thanks to Ann V. for the link.

GOOD-BYE SWEET IZZIE

RIP My Sweet Izzie

 From Izzie's human friend, Amelia:

Izzie was put to sleep this afternoon.  My little sweetie has crossed the rainbow bridge.  She has been really failing over the last year or so.
....

I will miss my little sweetie.  I will miss her snoring next to me at night. Her snores were famous in Vestry meetings where they helped move the discussion forward, sounding out at just the right time.  I found her funny, loving, stubborn and always up for an adventure.  Now she will have a new adventure, joining her doggie friends, Sydney and Daisy and Luci as well as Bear and Oso and Eva who have already crossed the rainbow bridge. I'm sure she will be waiting for me, tail up and curled, when it's my time.

Read the rest of the story of Izzie's life with Amelia.

Grandpère and I had the privilege of hosting Izzie and Amelia for a couple of days.  Both Izzie and her human were great guests, the kind you'd like to have back.  Alas, Izzie you'll not come to stay again, but we won't forget you, and perhaps Amelia will return.

The photo above, taken by Amelia, is my favorite, because Izzie looks smashing resting on the quilt of many colors and wearing her pink bow.

O Lord our God, we come before You this day in sadness.  Izzie, who brought Amelia so much joy in life, has now died.   Her happy times in her embrace have come to an end.  She misses Izzie already.

Help her, O God, to remember the good times with Izzie.  Remind her to rejoice in the happy times she brought to her home.  Let her be thankful for the good life she was blessed to give to her.

We are grateful to You, God, for creating Izzie, for entrusting her to Amelia's care, and for sustaining Izzie in her love for a measure of time.   We understand that all that lives must die.   She knew that this day would come.  And yet, O God, she would have wanted one more day of play, one more evening of love with Izzie.

O God, as Amelia has taken care of Izzie in life, we ask that You watch over her in death. You entrusted Izzie to her care; now, she gives her back to You.  May Izzie find a happy new home in Your loving embrace.

 As we remember Izzie, may we love each other more dearly.   May we care for all Your creatures, for every living thing, as Amelia protected the blessed life of Izzie.  May her memory bless our lives with love and caring forever.  Amen. 

(Prayer from Rabbi Barry H. Block)

REMEMBERING GAYLE - SIX YEARS

The picture of my sister Gayle was taken on the grounds of the Tower of London during our trip to England in the 1990s. We were headed to visit the Norman chapel inside the White Tower. I stopped to take a picture, and Gayle walked on. Today is the sixth anniversary of my sister's death. With courage, she fought off lymphoma 17 years before she died from pancreatic cancer. I still miss her. For me, the picture is a stunning metaphor for Gayle's walking away from all of us who love her.

Please pray for her husband, Frank and her three children, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Please pray for me and for her many friends who still miss her. She was a wonderful person. She loved to joke and laugh, and she loved a good party. She was a good wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a good sister and a good friend to me.

For the past ten days or so, I've been unusually doleful, and I've wondered why. There's a good bit going on in my family that could make me sad, but I'm fairly resilient, with my melancholy times lasting only a day or so. Yesterday, it dawned on me that in the days before the anniversary of Gayle's death, I grieve each year, even though I'm not constantly thinking about the approaching anniversary. Still, the body clock says it's a time to grieve.

WHY COULDN'T YOU STAY?

You walked away; you left us
Bereft, bereaved.
How could you go?
It wasn't your doing,
I know, I know.
Yet, how could you go?

Two years passed and gone,
Slipped away.
After you left, I'd think
I'll call her; I'll email.
Oh no! None of that!
You won't answer.

Now I know you're gone.
No thoughts of visits to come,
Seeing your face, hearing your voice,
The sound of your laughter.
Sadness lingers, emptiness remains.
Why couldn't you stay?

June Butler - 04-27-08

R.I.P. LEVON HELM - 'ACADIAN DRIFTWOOD' - THE BAND

Bob Dylan on Levon.

"In response to Levon's passing

"He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation. This is just so sad to talk about. I still can remember the first day I met him and the last day I saw him. We go back pretty far and had been through some trials together. I'm going to miss him, as I'm sure a whole lot of others will too."

Levon Helm at Life is Good Festival in 2011

Photo from Wikipedia.

R. I. P. EARL SCRUGGS

"Foggy Mountain Breakdown"

Flatt and Scruggs in 1965, Grand Ole Opry (Ryman Auditorium).




Earl Scruggs plays Fireball Mail on one of the Martha White shows in the 60's.

I remember Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs on the Grand Ole Oprey radio show and from their appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies show. 

ONE MORE FAVORITE IN MEMORY OF ETTA JAMES

'Seven Day Fool'



MadPriest posted a terrific selection of songs by Etta and Jimmy Castor, aka Omar Sharriff, etc., who died earlier this month.

ETTA JAMES - R. I. P.

'AT LAST'



Etta aged like a fine wine.

'IT'S A MAN'S WORLD'



In younger days, a wonderful song by a fabulous singer. It's still a man's world, but Etta made her mark as one of the greats.

PRAY FOR LESLEY'S MUM AND ALL WHO LOVE HER

From Lesley's Blog:

Mum – may she rest in peace

I can’t believe she’s dead.

I can’t.

Surely she is sufficiently irritated with how slow and inefficient everyone is to still be alive and harang us?

If you had to choose between mum being the quick and the dead, she is definitely the quick, and impatient in spades.

For goodness sake, she has never laid down in bed during the day, ever.

How can she be lying in a bed in hospital? Still…. like very still indeed… so still she can only be dead.

What a shock when our loved ones die suddenly. We have no time to prepare. Sorrow follows whenever our loved ones pass, but grief and shock coming together are more difficult to bear.

How lovely that Lesley and her Mum spent enjoyable hours together on the day she died and that she did not suffer. Still...its incredibly hard on those who are left behind.

I extend my love, prayers, and sympathy to Lesley's family, friends, and all who love Lesley's Mum. Lesley, her husband, Alan, other friends, and I shared an hours long lunch when I was in England. Both are lovely people, and I feel privileged to have met them.

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Lesley's Mum. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. And this we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FRIEND CATHY

Cathy's Birdbrain, picture above, passed away last night. Please pray also for Groucho, her mate, pictured behind Birdbrain, who is missing her very much. Cathy said:

I loved her dearly and she was a clever birdie, inquisitive and sweet, and had all sorts of little quirks and used to talk to me in all sorts of ways that no other bird has done or will do. The boy bird, Groucho, is still pretty quiet and refuses to eat or drink.
....

I will keep her here for a couple of days and then get her cremated - I want to keep her ashes. I don't want to bury her because I may not stay in this flat and I want her close by me, not in some pet graveyard. At the moment I can't even think straight, or stop crying.

Birdbrain looks such a sweet birdie, with her blushing feathers on her cheek. I know how Cathy loved her birdies. In all our rush of activities in London and with Cathy working, I never got to see Birdbrain and Groucho, but I wish I had.

O Lord our God, we come before You this day in sadness. Birdbrain, who brought Cathy so much joy in life, has now died. Her happy times with Cathy and Groucho have come to an end. They miss Birdbrain already.

Help Cathy, O God, to remember the good times with Birdbrain. Remind her to rejoice in the happy times she brought to her home. Let her be thankful for the good life she was blessed to give to her.

We are grateful to You, God, for creating Birdbrain, for entrusting her to Cathy's care, and for sustaining her in her love for a measure of time. We understand that all that lives must die. We knew that this day would come. And yet, O God, she would have wanted one more day of play, one more evening of love with Birdbrain.

O God, as Cathy has taken care of Birdbrain in life, we ask that You watch over her in death. You entrusted Birdbrain to Cathy's care; now, she gives her back to You. May she find a happy new home in Your loving embrace.

As we remember Birdbrain, may we love each other more dearly. May we care for all Your creatures, for every living thing, as Cathy protected the blessed life of Birdbrain. May her memory bless our lives with love and caring forever. Amen.

Prayer (with editing) by Rabbi Barry H. Block.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FRIEND MARK

Mark at Enough About Me has lost his Miutu, pictured above.

There's a 19 lb hole in my life. A sweet boy, all cuddles and chainsaw purrs. Even in fear, he might growl but never scratched or bit. Katzie, at first excited about having me to himself, has been looking from room to room, and, finally, following and rubbing on me at all times. He looked distinctly depressed as I left for work.

Our animal companions most often go before us, but it's no less heart-rending each time it happens. The losses pile up, and it's a bit worse each time. We can invite new companions into our homes, but they don't take the place of those who are gone. Mark grieves for Miutu, and I grieve with him.

Oh God, we bring you our grief in the loss of Miutu and ask for Mark the courage to bear it. We bring you our thanks for Miutu who gave freely of her love. We commit his friend and companion to your loving hands. Give us eyes to see how your love embraces all creatures, and every living thing speaks to us of your love. Amen.

R. I. P DAVID 'HONEYBOY' EDWARDS

From The Huffington Post:

CHICAGO -- Grammy-winning Blues musician David "Honey Boy" Edwards, believed to be the oldest surviving Delta bluesman and whose roots stretched back to blues legend Robert Johnson, died early Monday in his Chicago home, his manager said. He was 96.
....

Born in 1915 in Shaw, Miss., Edwards learned the guitar growing up and started playing professionally at age 17 in Memphis.

He came to Chicago in the 1940s and played on Maxwell Street, small clubs and street corners. By the 1950s Edwards had played with almost every bluesman of note - including Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Charlie Patton and Muddy Waters. Among Edwards' hit songs were "Long Tall Woman Blues," "Gamblin Man" and "Just Like Jesse James."
....

"Blues ain't never going anywhere," Edwards told The Associated Press in 2008. "It can get slow, but it ain't going nowhere. You play a lowdown dirty shame slow and lonesome, my mama dead, my papa across the sea I ain't dead but I'm just supposed to be blues. You can take that same blues, make it uptempo, a shuffle blues, that's what rock `n' roll did with it. So blues ain't going nowhere. Ain't goin' nowhere."

Edwards won a 2008 Grammy for traditional blues album and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2010. His death represents the loss of the last direct link to the first generation.

Another one of the old timers gone. Honeyboy's right. Blues ain't going nowhere.

Play the blues in heaven, Honeyboy. Play the blues for us who are left behind.

GAY SOLDIER'S PARENTS FIGHT MARRIAGE BAN

The death of Andrew Wilfahrt in Afghanistan moved his parents, Lori and Jeff, to advocate for marriage equality.

H/T to MadPriest at Of Course, I Could Be Wrong... where I first saw the video.

UPDATE: Thanks to Murdoch Matthew in the comments for the link to an article about Andrew in Stars and Stripes.

Lori and Jeff Wilfahrt, Andrew’s parents, have the milquetoast looks of middle-age Midwesterners: gray hair, rimmed glasses, apple-pie ordinary. Yet make no mistake: These lifelong Minnesotans might be the most powerful force to join the same-sex marriage movement.

In a state that has produced GOP presidential hopefuls Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty -- who have made careers fighting gay marriage -- these parents of an American hero present a major challenge to the establishment.

They'll take their battle to the Supreme Court, if that's what it takes. To the Wilfahrts, denying gays the right to marry is discrimination against a group to which their son belonged.

Lori and Jeff look like giants next to the likes of Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty.

UPDATE 2: From Mike in Texas in the comments comes a link to a moving story about Andrew at CNN:

A lover of literature, Jeff always brings a collection of William Wordsworth. He flips the pages to "Expostulation and Reply." He sits on the marble stone commemorating his son and reads aloud. Lori sits on the ground nearby.

He gets to the last verse and chokes up:

"Then ask not wherefore, here, alone,
Conversing as I may,
I sit upon this old grey stone,
And dream my time away."

Jeff stands quickly, touching the grey stone with his hand, as if reaching out to his beloved son from beyond the grave. He trembles and cries. "I can never get through the last paragraph," he says. "What the hell's wrong with me?"

Lori stands, too. The two stare at the headstone. Tears still streaming down his face, Jeff says, "It's just the shits." He whispers again, "It's just the shits."

They want people to know their son wasn't a "gay soldier." He was a great soldier who happened to be gay. Above all, he was a citizen.

A remarkable man, his epitaph reads.

A HUMAN FACE ON THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

From NOLA.com:

A Harvey [Louisiana] native who returned last month to Afghanistan for his second tour of duty in the war-torn country was killed Sunday in the dangerous Nad ‘Ali district, the Department of Defense said.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Douville, a 33-year-old career airman, died from injuries he suffered from an improvised explosive device.

Douville spent the last seven months with his family vacationing in the Bahamas and cheering on his three children at sporting events near their Fort Walton Beach, Fla., home before his redeployment.

Family was the only thing Douville loved more than his military life, said LaShana Douville, his wife of 14 years.

What a lovely family.

O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: Accept our prayers on behalf of your servant Daniel, and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our brother Daniel. We thank you for giving him to his family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on their earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console those who mourn. Give them faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence they may continue their course on earth, until, by your call, they are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer)

PRAYERS PLEASE

Original request: Molly is only 10 years old but went into congestive heart failure today -- prayers for healing.

Update: The news on Molly isn't good. We will probably loose her tonight. It is cancer & she is bleeding internally. We will probably put her to sleep so she doesn't suffer.

Molly lives with a friend of Ann Fontaine.

Ann also asked for prayers for another friend who is undergoing tests for possible tumors.

Molly is so beautiful. May she have a peaceful passing. May God give comfort and consolation to all who love her.

May Ann's friend receive a good report from the doctors after the tests.

DR KEVORKIAN'S WORK CONTINUES

From The Borowitz Report:

Paul Ryan Vows to Continue Kevorkian’s Work

Medicare to be Replaced with ‘Kevouchers’

Read the rest and more funnies at the link.

OSAMA BIN LADEN'S DEATH

Thus far, I haven't said much about Bin Laden's death. At The Lead, I said, "May the Lord have mercy upon him." I add now that God is just, and God is merciful, and I'll leave it to God to sort out Bin Laden's fate.

With all due respect and sympathy to all those who have suffered or died due to Bin Laden's evil schemes, I cannot find it within myself to take joy in the death of another human being. I wanted Bin Laden stopped from doing harm, and now he's stopped. For that I feel relief.

Several posts by bloggers speak wise words about Bin Laden's end. Mark Harris, at Preludium, Penny's post titled A Note About the Death, and Rmj at Adventus. Rmj picked up commentary from around and about and added his own.

As a sign that I am entirely human and capable of taking the low road, I said the following at Penny's blog:

Still, I take a certain satisfaction in the timing. For all George Bush's bluster, Osama bin Laden was not killed on his watch but on the watch of a president who has been labeled a terrorist by certain citizens of this country. Not exactly a Christian sentiment on my part, eh?

What I did not add at Penny's blog is the rest of what I wanted to say: "Up yours, all you Americans who call our president a terrorist!"

GAYLE - FIVE YEARS GONE

The picture of my sister Gayle was taken on the grounds of the Tower of London during our trip to England in the 1990s. We were headed to visit the Norman chapel inside the White Tower. I stopped to take a picture, and Gayle walked on. Today is the fifth anniversary of my sister's passing. With courage, she fought off lymphoma 17 years before she died from pancreatic cancer. I still miss her. For me, the picture is a stunning metaphor for Gayle's walk away from all of us who love her.

Please pray for her husband, Frank and her three children, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Please pray for me and for her many friends who still miss her. She was a wonderful person. She loved to joke and laugh, and she loved a good party. She was a good wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a good sister and a good friend to me.

This past Holy Week, I've been unusually sad, and I've wondered why. I take the week to heart, but usually not as much as this year. Then, on Monday, it dawned on me that in the days before the anniversary of Gayle's passing, I grieve each year, even when I'm not consciously aware that the anniversary approaches. Holy Week coincided with the period before the anniversary. Aha!

Why Couldn't You Stay?

You walked away; you left us
Bereft, bereaved.
How could you go?
It wasn't your doing,
I know, I know.
Yet, how could you go?

Two years passed and gone,
Slipped away.
After you left, I'd think
I'll call her; I'll email.
Oh no! None of that!
You won't answer.

Now I know you're gone.
No thoughts of visits to come,
Seeing your face, hearing your voice,
The sound of your laughter.
Sadness lingers, emptiness remains.
Why couldn't you stay?

June Butler - 04-27-08

Note: Reposted from last year with editing.