Remembering Marilyn

Yesterday we gathered as community to say goodbye to our dear, sweet Marilyn Rea.  She was my son Max's kindergarten teacher, and she was a blessing to all who were lucky enough to know her.  Max actually started in another kindergarten class, but having spent most of his time in the cubby room for being, well, "boy-strous," she gladly accepted him into her class.  Thank you Marilyn.

She didn't mind that he spent most of his time rolling around on the floor with the other boys like a pack of squirmy pups.  She found great humor in Max and his ways.  She embraced his individuality and accepted his gifts of humor and wit.  Thank you Marilyn.

It occurred to me at her memorial that although Max couldn't be there, she would be happy with what he was up to.  Max was in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area with his Scout troop constructing a snowcave.  He and his troop buddies would be spending the night in 12 degree weather.

She would laugh at the irony of his preparedness as compared to their "Going to 1st Grade Hike."

For his 1st grade hike, Max wanted to prepare his backpack on his own.  So he did, filling it with crackers, a Guiness World Record book, baseball trading cards, and a Junior Ranger checklist.  Marilyn found great humor in him and so many of the children she taught.  Thank you Marliyn.

I was privledged to hear how she had touched so many lives with her grace, humor, wit, song, and dance.  This poem, recited by her family, best sums up the day and what she shared with all of us:

For Love of the Worldby Charlotte Tall Mountain

For the love of a tree,
she went out on a limb.
For the love of the sea,
she rocked the boat.
For the love of the earth,
she dug deeper.
For the love of community,
she mended fences.
For the love of the stars,
she let her light shine.
For the love of spirit,
she nurtured her soul.
For the love of a good time,
she sowed seeds of happiness.
For the love of the Goddess,
she drew down the moon.
For the love of nature,
she made compost.
For the love of a good meal,
she gave thanks.
For the love of family,
she reconciled differences.
For the love of creativity,
she entertained new possibilities.
For the love of her enemies,
she suspended judgment.
For the love of herself,
she acknowledged her worth.
And the world was richer for her.

Goodbye dear sweet Marilyn, you will be missed, and never forgotten.