Our Dear Michele passed on February 13, 2025. Unexpectedly.
She and I were inseparable friends and committed to grow in love for the past 35 years. She is a great, great soul. Prayerful, devoted to the spiritual life, a steadfast friend, a delightful and demanding companion, so creative and an interested student into so many areas of life, the arts and crafts. The horrors unfolding in the geopolitics of the world troubled her deeply. She prayed fervently.
Virtuous, kind, generous, forgiving, fastidious, precise, insightful, intelligent, refined artistic and aesthetic taste. The Queen in the kitchen with so many signature specialties. Pies, cakes, baking in general. Those in the Siddha Yoga School should know that she was my Queen of Sour Cereal. My morning barista. We explored the world of food together. All cuisines. Iโm left with a pantry of just about anything you could want to prepare just about anything you could want.
Artistically talented. Painting. Photography. Calligraphy. [Michele was a resident at the South Fallsburg New York Siddha Yoga Ashram in the art department. Hand calligraphed posters and maha sized birthday cards on behalf of the NY Siddha Yogis for Gurumayi Chidvilasanandaโs birthdays.]
Needle skills ... quilting, knitting, samplers. Being such a keen student she got deeply into her arts and crafts. Curated a master collection of fabrics. Expert in color design aesthetics. Knitting ... studied breeds of sheep, yarn making, knitting design. Made the most exquisite Catholic Rosaries. But, only after thoroughly researching and learning wiring techniques, bead types and sources, accessory crucifixes and centers and findings.
We gardened together when we lived in Arizona [from 1994 to 2006]. Grew everything. Everything: Artichokes, Cardoon, Okra, Garlic, Fava Beans, String Beans, Tomatoes, Lettuces, Arugula, Carrots, Peas, Cucumbers, Beets, Turnips, Burdock, Daikon, Garbanzos. Everything. Except Rhubarb; it doesn't like the AZ climate. Michele avidly studied the seed catalogues. Save seeds from the garden and from the wild. Queen Anne's Lace was a particular favorite.
Michele was deeply devoted to prayer. She made me promise to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on the day of her death. We met as devotees in Siddha Yoga. Also share the Catholic faith. I continue to pray her prayers, and the daily Sacrament of the Mass.
I miss her beautiful presence in my life and bless the tears that come to enrich our still growing bond. I believe our relationship continues. And, her encouraging me to pray and participate in the Catholic liturgy is a practice that will grow our soul relationship as we support one another in our soul growth.
We appreciated so many of the spiritual traditions and teachers and Masters. Buddhism, Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism. Both graduates of Werner Erhard trainings. We had a great foundation for having something higher to focus our relationship beyond the daily transactional doings and comings and goings and gettings.
We were mirrors of each other. What I see in her I am committed to see that reflection in myself. She held that too as a cornerstone of her spiritual sadhana practice. With her passing, the mystery of it all looms large in front of me. Iโm grateful. Weโre inseparable in the Reality beyond words and images. All my prayers are offered with the intention that she enjoys the communion of all the Saints in Heaven. And that whatever may have been left incomplete in her life of her soul be cleansed in God's Mercy.
Michele was deeply devoted to prayer. She made me promise to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on the day of her death. We met as devotees in Siddha Yoga. Also share the Catholic faith. I continue to pray her prayers, and the daily Sacrament of the Mass.
I miss her beautiful presence in my life and bless the tears that come to enrich our still growing bond. I believe our relationship continues. And, her encouraging me to pray and participate in the Catholic liturgy is a practice that will grow our soul relationship as we support one another in our soul growth.
We appreciated so many of the spiritual traditions and teachers and Masters. Buddhism, Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism. Both graduates of Werner Erhard trainings. We had a great foundation for having something higher to focus our relationship beyond the daily transactional doings and comings and goings and gettings.
We were mirrors of each other. What I see in her I am committed to see that reflection in myself. She held that too as a cornerstone of her spiritual sadhana practice. With her passing, the mystery of it all looms large in front of me. Iโm grateful. Weโre inseparable in the Reality beyond words and images. All my prayers are offered with the intention that she enjoys the communion of all the Saints in Heaven. And that whatever may have been left incomplete in her life of her soul be cleansed in God's Mercy.
Pray for her. Pray with her. Pray to her. She's in some Very Good Company.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment