Special friends

Steve, Winnie and me in Maine

Yesterday friends stopped by to visit us on the ranch.  My friend D. reads the posts so asked me, "Who are Steve and Winnie?"  That is a good question -- especially since the site is dedicated to their memory, and I write the posts in the form of a letter addressed to them.  We met Steve and Winnie in Maine in 1984 when Gene and I were working with the Beyond War movement.  They were in one of the meetings we conducted and were very responsive to the ideas.  Being much younger and inexperienced at that time, I thought that people in their mid-60's would not have the energy or desire to volunteer much.  Very wrong!  Steve and Winnie became dedicated participants in the movement and thus a special friendship was forged.

While those were the circumstances that brought us together, I think more accurately it was a case of meeting up with kindred spirits.  Their qualities of humility, naturalness,  being inquiring, generosity and practicality touched me deeply and resulted in a life long bond with them. They led full lives into their mid-80's.  Each died quickly with no illness which was a grace.  I miss conversations with them and an old-fashioned quality they embodied -- a quality of listening and not hurrying. This approach to life seems more rare now. The posts are a way to honor the life they lived, and I feel a connection to their memory when I write to them.

Donna