Expressing the merest pinch of the real
Hippolyte Lizard
the stars, talking of God. The other men wanted to return and, since
they had flashlights and I wished to walk in the dark, I stayed back
until they were gone. I looked around into the utter blackness of the
trees. The silence brought to mind the birds now sleeping. The birds
made me think of Larry.
It was Larry who told me they were red-shouldered hawks who lived in the
oak trees around the house his daughter and I just built. Larry
delighted in the first finches of the season, and was genuinely
interested if we reported a wild turkey had come through the yard. He
was a Fish & Game biologist and a font of knowledge about birds,
especially local species.
Larry too is now sleeping. Last week a freak accident only made
possible by the early degradations of ALS brought his suffering to an
end. His daughter's heart has been ripped out, and I can't fix it. But
I can remind her of what was whispered to me as I stood alone under
those dark and silent trees. Though his house is empty and his family
grieving, Larry has been gathered home. He can visit his mother again,
and trade stupid jokes with his beloved uncle, and live forevermore
without pain.
Friday is his 64th birthday. Rest in peace.
Norma
"Hippolyte Lizard" <no_sp...@se.com> wrote in message
news:3CBB74E6...@se.com...
> Saturday night we stood in a clearing, surrounded by redwoods and under
> the stars, talking of God. The other men wanted to return and, since
> they had flashlights and I wished to walk in the dark, I stayed back
> until they were gone. I looked around into the utter blackness of the
> trees. The silence brought to mind the birds now sleeping. The birds
> made me think of Larry.
>
> It was Larry who told me they were red-shouldered hawks who lived in the
> oak trees around the house his daughter and I just built. Larry
> delighted in the first finches of the season, and was genuinely
> interested if we reported a wild turkey had come through the yard. He
> was a Fish & Game biologist and a font of knowledge about birds,
> especially local species.
>
> Larry too is now sleeping. Last week a freak accident only made
> possible by the early degradations of ALS brought his suffering to an
> end. His daughter's heart has been ripped out, and I can't fix it. But
> I can remind her of what was whispered to me as I stood alone under
> those dark and silent trees. Though his house is empty and his family
> grieving, >
Thank you for a beautiful, thoughtful post, and know you were blessed by
Larry's life and his sharing of the wonders of nature. I pay attention to
the verbs used in death announcements, and you have given Larry some of the
best; you didn't let him leave the love of his family and friends without a
verb.
"Larry has been gathered home. He can visit his mother again,
> and trade stupid jokes with his beloved uncle, and live forevermore
> without pain."
nb
Alex Jay Berman
<no_sp...@se.com> wrote:
<snipped; just go back and read it again, okay?>
Well put, HL. This is the sort of lyrical introspective post we see
from Ejucaded Redneck--and that's high praise, believe me. If you
want, you should write it out a bit longer and see where you can sell
it.
Alex Jay Berman
Jenna Thomas-McKie
<a wonderful tribute to Larry, but I snipped it all, 'cause it was just
too good to pick and choose>
Thanks, HipLiz, for sharing.
--
Jenna Thomas-McKie
jth...@aug.edu
"We can think. We can reason. We can be better than we are."
- C. Eric Lincoln