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| A word cloud drawn from all of your messages. |
Thank you all for your amazing messages of love. We've heard from our families, childhood friends, college friends, grad school friends, work friends, ballet friends, running friends, travel friends, parenting friends, our kids' friends, and more. Some of you we've known for ages and some we've known only briefly. Leslie has trouble focusing her mind to read, so we are reading your messages to her, as her attention and emotions permit.
Two things move me, in particular. One is the clarity and specificity of your memories, even when recalling moments from decades ago; clearly, time spent with Leslie is recorded in indelible ink, or perhaps vibrant oils. The other is how many common themes emerge in your recollections; the one that resonates most with me is Leslie's ability to speak truth to power (including telling many of us - myself included - things we don't always want to hear, but need to).
My sister Kathy, after spending a few days here visiting, has taken up a new mantra of "say it now." Don't wait until someone is sick before telling them why you value them or what they have meant to you. I hope others of you will adopt that, as well, just as you've done so eloquently and intimately for Leslie.
I will learn from Kathy and shall "say it now."
ReplyDeleteDavid, your puns are terrible.
With love,
Julie
Oh come 'on...you've got to give it to him for Tanks for the Memories, Yes?
DeletexxCarla
I'm happy you did not include the choice words I had to say about cancer on Taper Madness in your word cloud. Beautiful post; thank you.
ReplyDeleteOK then, I'll say it -- you've been one of my best friends for the better part of my life now, and Leslie has been your constant partner and clearly your better half for almost as long. You both are hugely important to me, and I know that I and all of us from all that time ago love you both as one can only love the truest and oldest of friends.
ReplyDeleteDavid & Leslie- Thinking of you. David's words remind me of what Patsy Montana said, "I want my roses while I can smell them"! Leslie named the GRAMMY winning cELLAbration CD at breakfast a bunch of years ago! Lucky us for having met you both through Guy & Candie Carawan!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Cathy & Marcy
You all take my breath away with your ability to figure out heartwarming ways to keep giving back to US even when you are dealing with such heart ache.
ReplyDeleteI think you should add cats to the LOVE cloud!
You are all in my mind and heart every moment of every day.
You know I am here for you if you need me.
xxxxCarla
This is sort of a ridiculous memory, but I remember Leslie having rats as pets. Do you guys still have them? Wasn't her car license plate Lab Rat or Lab Pup ? She posted about having babies at one point in the Lab bulletin and one of my kids... I think, Henry, desperately wanted one. I should buck up one of these days and get him a rodent (he recently said he wanted a gerbil), but I guess I'm nervous that I'd end up taking care of said pet!
ReplyDeleteWe have a cat which which we took in after Irene Fahrenwald found him in Beverly, and that's about as much as I can handle. Smokey looks a lot like your watchful cat pictured in another blog post.
I took my mom's advice after hearing about her "say it now" initiative and sent an e-mail to a friend here in Philly that I'd put off writing for ages. And it was so worth it.
ReplyDeleteThanks mom. Thanks Leslie.
Anna