Missouri Memorial
There will be a celebration of Chester's life on Saturday, March 17th 11:30-3pm at the Johnson County Fairgrounds Rural Youth Center, 386 NW 145, Warrensburg, MO 64093.
I am helping the family gather pictures for the celebration, but I have very little access here of photos of Chester during his traveling and teaching days. If you have photos of Chester that you would like to share with his friends and family, we would be grateful if you emailed them to bean.fairbanks@gmail.com.
We have greatly appreciated your stories of your personal rituals and experiences in acknowledging Chester's passing. They have lightened our moods, made us smile and provided opportunity to share tears. Thank you.
I am helping the family gather pictures for the celebration, but I have very little access here of photos of Chester during his traveling and teaching days. If you have photos of Chester that you would like to share with his friends and family, we would be grateful if you emailed them to bean.fairbanks@gmail.com.
We have greatly appreciated your stories of your personal rituals and experiences in acknowledging Chester's passing. They have lightened our moods, made us smile and provided opportunity to share tears. Thank you.
posted by Wine-Beer-Washington at 5:51 PM
1 Comments:
I also had a visit from Chester early this morning as I was crying in my bed - I felt him come to me and envelop me in one of his warm, tender, juicy spoons he so beautifully gives. I felt loved, warm and safe as he held me with his spirit body and then he whispered in that 'cheeky bugger' devilish way of his that to be on the lookout as the b-stis were never far away! It was a classic Chester - Uncle Fester moment. It felt like he was free to play again. He then placed one hand on my belly and the other on my chest and after some easy breaths together, in his gentle voice we said our goodbyes.
'Cheeky bugger - Bloody Bastard!' are the words that Chester loved prying out of me in my mixed Aussie-New Zealand accent when he had done or said something devilish so as to get that reaction out of me. He would laugh his naughty laugh in delight when he was able to bait me into a corner, jump up and down with his tail wagging and say 'ooh - ooh gotchya!', and he would often sign off his emails as 'chkybgr'. Last night I listened to a cassette tape that I recorded of him and me talking when I was last visiting him in October 05. He had to read fairly boring texts as part of his speech therapy and I suggested we tape him and then listen back in a couple of weeks to compare his speech improvements. He had recently received a fabulously bent Fairy Tale book called 'Stinky Cheese Man and Other Stupid Fairy Tales' from one of his friends who knew how much he would appreciate it (I am sorry that I don't know who it was from), and so he read me four of the stories while I cooked us dinner. After his deliciously enticing reading of the first Fairy Tale about Chicken Licken, Ducky Lucky, Foxy Locksy and Cocky Locky, we both fell about in hysterical laughter, which is all recorded on the tape - So last night I feel asleep with his laughter ringing in my ears; his laughter and essence lives on....
One of the things I keep feeling about him today is the way he is able to hold people in the Sacred; seeing and honoring the sacred within each person and with the earth around him. In turn I felt reminded of my own sacredness. I feel immense gratitude to have had 12 years of sharing my life with him in all its forms and outrageous journeys that we got to experience together, and to meet and share some of those incredible experiences with his dear friends.
To Chester's family - I feel sad not to have met any of you, but through him I got to know how special you all are and how much you all really meant to him. On several of his visits to New Zealand he came to stay with my parents on the family farm, both with and with out me and my family came to love him as one of their own. They are all hurting too.
I would like to post you a copy of the cassette tape as he was in fine form that day and it comes across clearly on the recording. I am sorry that I won't make it for the Memorial Service, but I will be there in my heart and I know it will be a profound send-off for him. Thank you for bringing him into the world for so many to share.
To Bean, what a beautiful soul you are. Your love, attendance, care, nurturing and dedication has been really moving to witness – Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
love,
Cath
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