News of Ms. Laurel

Lisa Heft lisaheft at pacbell.net
Thu Sep 27 10:44:20 PDT 2001


Hello, dear friends and colleagues --

Late last night and early this morning I received calls from Laurel's
family and our colleague Terrie Conway telling me how the surgery went.
Thank you SO much, Terrie, for thinking to call in the midst of all that
is going on.

Alas, the surgery went smoothly and Laurel is recovering well...

...but...

She has advanced ovarian cancer.  My heart breaks.

She will get out of the hospital in 4 or 5 days, and in a week or two
she will begin chemotherapy.

The doctors tell her that if chemotherapy goes well, she will have 2 to
5 years to live.

Now we know that this outcome is not always what they say -- we know
(and some of you are) survivors of AIDS and cancer who live long beyond
what the doctors thought.  And at best, doctors can only guess, of
course.

And Ms. Laurel is a fighter.

When I was staying with Laurel and her family some weeks before and
after OSonOS last month, Laurel and Rick spoke of wanting to change
their life, to leave their jobs and to give away or sell most of their
possessions, and live their lives in a simple cabin or a trailer to
simplify life and bring them closer to the really important things such
as nature and being fully present.  This was before any clues of health
issues to come.  I have a feeling that releasing and doing will come
much more easily to them now.

So we shall see what we shall see, eh?  Our fierce love just has to get
fiercer, that's all.

My thanks to those of you who have written to me directly -- I also
appreciate your support and our community's connection during these
tumultuous times.

So not only do I send up the prayer flag again, I am also rolling the
prayer wheel.

This is adapted from a website called Dharma Haven:

- - -
Tibetan prayer wheels are rolls of thin paper imprinted with many copies
of prayer and wound around an axle in a protective container, which is
spun around and around.  Tibetan Buddhists believe that spinning this
form of the mantra around in a wheel invokes the powerful benevolent
attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion.

Many Tibetans carry small wheels around and spin them as they go
walking. Larger wheels, which may be several meters in height and
diameter, are often mounted in rows next to pathways, to be spun by
people entering a shrine, or along the route which people use as they
walk slowly around and around a sacred site.  Wheels are also placed
where they can be spun by wind or by flowing water. Smaller mounted
wheels can be spun by the heat rising from a flame or by steam from a
stove, or placed on a tabletop to be spun by hand.
- - -

So as you pass by a flame or some steam rising up from a teapot -- as
you walk past a river -- as you think of Laurel and connect with your
inner spirit, your spirit guides, your gods and goddesses, your sense of
our one-ness, your feelings of connection to nature and breathing and
sunlight -- as you hold your children and press your face against their
tousled hair -- as you walk by a rose kissed by dew or see a sunset that
makes you catch your breath...

...Laurel and Rick and their loved ones will breathe in your love and
feel the nutrition of your support coursing through their veins and
hearts and spirits, better medicine than any chemotherapy ever.  And
without the toxic side effects !


- - - - -


I leave for a three-day retreat in Open Space for the Catholic Diocese
of San Jose (and many thanks for those of you who have shared your ideas
and support for the design of that event -- I'll tell you how it
goes!).  So if I have internet access, I'll check my messages.  If not,
I shall return to check my messages at the latest, Sunday morning.  You
can fax Rick and Laurel messages directly through their friends Janet
and (another) Rick at 250 744-1697 (Canada) or you can email messages to
me and I'll fax them on ahead for you upon my return.

Fierce love.

Lisa







L i s a    H e f t
Consultant, facilitator, educator
Experiential learning and Open Space Technology

2325 Oregon
Berkeley, California
94705-1106 USA
(+01) 510 548-8449
www.openspaceworld.com

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