October 10, 2006
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
On September 11, 2001, the twin towers in New York City collapsed, releasing into the air, pulverized particles of asbestos. Thousands upon thousands of people inhaled these particles putting them at great health risk. Unless the science of medicine advances in regards to lung cancer caused by asbestos, there will be thousands of deaths some 30, 40, and 50 years from now. It is into this context of mesothelioma (cancer caused by asbestos particles) that we mourn the death of Art Reed. Art was exposed to asbestos particles some 50 years ago when he worked at an asbestos pipe manufacturing facility. Little did he know that decades later, it would play havoc on his health.
Art was a beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, and parishioner. Born in Laramie Wyoming, he was educated in California, where he met his wife Jeanne while studying at San Jose State. They remained in the area, bringing up their two children, Christie and Geoff. Art worked as an engineer at United Technologies and he invented several patents. His boundless energy, sense of responsibility, inquisitive mind, sense of humor, and love for life, motivated him to share his gifts and passions freely. This included volunteering at the church, with his children’s activities, running marathons, caring for the environment, and becoming a certified personal trainer after his retirement. We and this world are better off because he shared his gifts with us. And so we have come here today to celebrate his life.
I met Art some eight years ago when I became rector of St. Jude’s. But it wasn’t until I told him that I was lifting weights and trying to get into shape that we had our first passionate conversation. From that time on, I was placed on his monthly email-mailings, where he offered advice and summaries on the latest research regarding physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Art had a passion for knowledge and felt responsible to educate others on various topics.
When he was diagnosed with lung cancer last May, I then heard about his enormous passion for life. At that time he told me just how much he loved life. He loved to be with people. He loved to discover the universe. He loved to be out in nature. He loved God’s creation and all that is in it. He described his love for the mountains, the sunsets, the vistas, the trees, his family, his friends, and was brought to tears by the beauty and the richness of all the blessings in his own life. It was this love for life that motivated him to seek out every possible medical treatment available.
Unfortunately, the treatments did not cure him. Before he died, Art shared with me his philosophy of life. Let me share a few tidbits with you:
- “Helping others may be life’s primary goal…Be a true friend. Do the right thing. And enjoy the glory of everything.”
- “Life needs to be enjoyed! In the NOW, not dwelling in the past (though there is nothing wrong with precious memories). And it can’t be enjoyed in the future-that isn’t here yet. So…be childlike, not childish, share Socrates’ love of the search, exercise the little gray cells, work and love!”
- “I believe, as a result of having done some really stupid things, that someone up there is watching me, and has repeatedly pulled me out of serious jams by the scruff of my neck.”
- “Of particular importance are a warm marriage and social support. One must re-learn how to play. Successful relationships are basic. Affection and compassion open inner doors, and change relationships.”
Art is now at rest, (well maybe not), beginning a new chapter of his life. None of us here today can accurately describe life on the other side of the divide. It is so different from the physical realm in which we now live. So rather than speculating about the “after life” I think funerals are wonderful opportunities for us to reflect on our own lives and ask the difficult questions like: Am I doing what God has called me to do and am I using my gifts to make this planet a better place in which to live?” When it is all said and done, what matters in the end is not how much money we have made, or how many children we have had, or even whether we have reached our vocational goals. What matters in the end is how much we have loved.
In today’s reading from the Holy Scriptures, Paul describes the kind of love we are called to emulate in his letter to the Church in Corinth. It is a godly love, a sacrificial love known as agape. Agape is a selfless love that is not based on feelings but is based on commitment and doing the right things. It is the kind of love Jesus modeled as he reached out to the marginalized, healed the sick, and gave hope to the downtrodden. This kind of love “is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. [1 Corinthians 13]
So may the love that Art showered upon us, continue to be passed on; not only to those who are close to us but also to those who need an extra dose of compassion. This includes the poor, the needy, the suffering, the neighbor. For as Art would always say, “Our lives are the sum of all whom we have loved.”
| Updated 10/27/06 |
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