I have never known a dog like Red, and I doubt I will ever know another like Red. I call him the Comfort Dog, he has a great gift for comforting people whose hearts are open and souls are in need. He went from one resident to another this morning, he has a genius for doing that.
The Rev. Debbie Earthowl presided over Connie Martell’s Memorial Service at the Mansion this morning. She said Connie was now in the arms of God, where she wished to be. I gave a talk describing how Connie had launched the Army Of Good and transformed my life and the lives of others.
Several of the residents talked about Connie’s generosity and encouragement of others, Red sat by Rev. Earthowl for most of the service. It was simple, touching, humbling. Thanks for the flowers and cards you sent the residents, and for the Christmas gifts and decorations that have begun arriving.
The residents who would like to receive your cards and messages are Robert, Allan, Sylvie, Jean, John Z., Tim, Ben, Art, Alanna, Peggie, Ellen, Joan, Brenda, Jane, Alice, Madeline, Mary, Barbara, Bill, John K., Diane, Helen, Winnie, Jean, Dorothy, Ruth, Kenneth, Gerry, Guerda. You can write them c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Several days ago, I suggested that people who wished to mark Connie’s passing could, if they wished, send small flower arrangements to the Mansion for this morning’s Memorial Service (I will write about that shortly) and in the intensity of the weekend, I forget about it.
Until I walked into the Mansion this morning and saw beautiful flowers all over the Great Room and the Mansion itself.
There were beautiful arrangements on every table.
I want to write this post directly to the Army Of Good, a long overdue message of gratitude. I don’t know most of you, and you live all over the country – in ever state I believe. You transformed Connie’s last year into one of meaning and increased comfort, of generosity and meaning.
You joined a movement that has helped hundreds of people stay grounded and hopeful, and feel the great joy of helping the needy and the vulnerable.
You never once failed her when she needed help, your loyalty and trust are a powerful and unprecedented thing for me. Few of us have met, or spoken, yet you have entrusted me with money and continuous support.
We have done a lot of good for a lot of people, a miracle in a cynical and divided world. (one anonymous poster messaged me, he didn’t seem to like that I had purchased a new Iphone X, he wondered if I was perhaps using your donations to subsidize the smart phone purchase. It was inevitable, I supposed, and it literally sickened me, I should be stronger by now.To me, it was loathsome, the national malignancy.)
In my lengthening life, the Army Of Good is one of the most astonishing and miraculous happenings. Connie was one of the first people I wrote about at the Mansion, it was around the time of the Presidential Election.
I saw all the hatred and division raging all around me, and I decided I did not wish to be a part of that, it would undermine my life and my peace of mind and creativity. I said I wanted to do good rather than argue about what good was.
When I wrote that Connie was in need of yarn to resume her knitting and free her from the confines of her big red chair, I had no idea that I had altered her life and mine. You never once let her down, all the way to the end.
The yarn came pouring in, along with patterns, needles, pamphlets, books, an air conditioner, magazines, a new reclining lift chair, paintings on the walls, a CD player, movies, a Kindle Fire, games and puzzles.
She got an avalanche of letters, they continued to come every day until her death. She loved reading them and answered as many as she could.
Your loyalty and faithfulness and commitment connected me to the very best of the human spirit. This gave rebirth to her life. She had work to do once again. She could care for others once again – she was a nurse in her other life, and she cared for her chronically ill son all of his life..
You brought her back to the good parts of her life, even as her body began to fail, and she was constantly in pain. What a gift from human beings to another, what an antidote to the bitterness and cruelty we see on the news.
Your compassion has also been a great gift to me, enhancing my faith in the human spirit, allowing me to feel the great joy of doing good and filling my heart with love, not hatred.
For me, this work does not end with Connie, it goes on. I hope the AOG stays with me, but whether or no it does, I want to thank you with all of my heart. You are the hope for our world, and the light beyond. You are needed, our better angels. Thank you, on behalf of me, Connie and her family.
And thanks for sending Christmas gifts and decorations to the Mansion. They have begun to arrive – 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.
And thanks for trusting me.You never failed Connie, I will never fail you.
(FYI, the Mansion and Refugee Fund is now at $1, 360.89, up $600 from last week and thanks. At the moment, there are no major expenses planned, I hope to buy some holographic bookmarks and get a few winter hats for several of the residents. If you wish to contribute, you can sent a check to my Post Office Box, P.O. box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, Paypal, [email protected]. I should mention all Mansion/Refugee funds are kept in a separate account, donations are monitored by a bookkeeper and accountant each month Please mark your donations for the Mansion, or the refugees, or to both, thanks.)
