Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Every heart has its secret sorrows, which the world know not;
Often times we call a man cold, when he is only sad. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Good Morning, my friends. I have had internet problems for the past few days and have been absent from cyperspace. It seems to be working this morning.
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As you all know, I have been writing quite a bit about my friends Joe and Karl and have spent quite a bit of time with them the past few weeks. I was by there yesterday for about an hour. Karl's breathing was heavy and he was just out of it. Totally unaware of anything.
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At 10:45 last night the phone rang and it was Joe. Karl had crossed over at 9:30 PM. I feel joy that my friend is no longer suffering. I feel joy that Joe is no longer having to go through the pain on a daily basis of seeing his partner of 29.5 years suffering. It has been a quick 13 months since the diagnosis.
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This is a poem, my favorite, that I have had for over 40 years. I shared it about a year ago. I want to share it again, except I am dedicating it to Karl.
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ON FRIENDSHIP
The sun rises,
Bringing to a darkened world, Light.
As she traverses the heavens,
She warms the earth,
Gives the Corn strength to grow
And lights our way.
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Then comes the hour when she must set;
Vanish from our sight.
Yet long after the darkness,
Because of her absence
The ground remains warm beneath our feet,
The corn continues to grow and flourish.
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And, so it is----with friends.
They come into our lives;
Lighting our way with understanding;
Give us food for growth by encouraging us
And warm our hearts with kindnesses.
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Yet like the sun,
Friends, too must part.
However, neither miles
Nor time can dim nor cancel
What has transpire between me and thee.
When we sit alone with our thoughts,
The pleasant recall of our moments past
Will continue to warm the spirit,
Give courage to the heart,
And restful comfort to the mind.
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Sunset time is with us now...
So I say not good-bye, Dear Karl.....
Till the next sunrise.
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Today I am grateful for:
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God, my Higher Power
My Sobriety
Mamie, my schnauzer
Memories of Dolly.
My Sponsor.
That Karl Dutt is at peace
The incredible strength I have seen in Joe Cooney
The unconditional love and support from the Cooney and Dutt families.
Being able to be there for my friends.
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Y'all be pretty now, ya heah.
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May 21 The work of the soul is to wake yourself up. The work of God is to wake everybody else up. Meditations from Conversation with God Book 1 page 142

9 comments:

dAAve said...

Bless you and your friends.
Let me know if there's anything I can do.

Trailboss said...

I am sorry but happy that he is out of his pain. I know what that is like. Mom was similar in the way she went.

I have wondered where you have been! Sorry about the internet problems.

Much love to you and yours.

Todd HellsKitchen said...

RIP Karl.... Peace.

Scott W said...

Sounds like you have a peaceful heart about Karl's passing. It's that circle of life thing, it continues. Still, sending prayers your way and to the families and friends.

Bill said...

God has blessed Karl.

Thanks for letting us know. Be well and be happy.

Pammie said...

I'm happy that you were able to be a sober friend to these two men. Can you just imagine how useless you would have been to them during this if you were still drinking? How wonderful for you that you were able to be FULLY present. Joe is lucky to have you in his life now.....because you are a dependable friend, exactly what he needs right now. I hope Karl is sitting in the big meeting right now.

Recovery Road London said...

What Dave and Pam said, really.

Take it easy, matey.

Todd HellsKitchen said...

How's that Internet coming? Still outta whack?

Scott W said...

Hey! Time for a new post!