Walk in Spirit
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 6:46 AM
How do we commemorate and honor the life of an extraordinary person,
one whose impact on family, friends, co-workers, and strangers on the
street was unmistakable and lasting — those special memories that
recall this person into our immediate presence? Just like life itself, these
recollections are varied and contrastive completing a whole of intersecting
parts that enliven our spiritual and
emotional connection to this rare
being.
To each of us, Lavonne H. Gage –
Von, Vonnie – was special, and
what we remember about her, even
in those shared experiences, is
deeply personal and deeply stirring.
Like the feel of the wind and the
warmth of the sun, we each were
touched singularly and uniquely.
“Our” Von was authentically my
Von, my wife, my mother; my
grandmother, my great-
grandmother; my sister, my sister-
in-law, my aunt; my best friend, my
teacher, my mentor; my neighbor,
my touchstone.
Those special words of encouragement, those stern words of upbraiding,
when a reality check was called for; those sweet tender reaching-out
moments of hers; those spontaneous verbal and physical hugs that lifted
you and let you know that you were special in her eyes are what we carry
of her through this life. Those inseparable, countless Von moments are
what we carry as her legacy gifted to us and the world. The beauty of her
form and spirit, the dignity of her nobility, the genuineness of her
unconditional acceptance are what we draw from, when life confronts us
with its harsh challenges.
To the very end of this sojourn, when her verbal expression was limited,
the quintessential Lavonne remained as an energy of magnanimity that
held us in its spell. And we remain spellbound, as she takes that walk in
spirit, still showing us the way of a selfless life. And when our time
comes, she and those ancestors who have gone before will sing to us:
“Come this way,
With summer’s rains
smelling of forest and sod
“Come this way,
with winter’s snows
Freezing-white with reminiscence
“Come this way,
with spring’s blossoms
Bursting of color and scents
“Come this way
like the river of a baby’s breath
Flowing deeply, steadily
Against the drumming of its mother’s heart
“Come this way…"