Monday, July 24, 2017
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I initially met Bill in 1969 when I was a Sophomore with him at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. After graduation we rarely saw one another though always stayed in touch by phone. Phone calls with Bill always lasted well over two hours to the point that my ear was sore afterwards. We'd share facts about our lives and speak of the Abbey and friends we both knew at the Abbey. He struck me as being a very private person but too, he shared much with me over the years. I'd share personal notes concerning myself which cracked him up and I enjoyed his laughter. I will miss my conversations with him very very much. I'll always feel that a part of me has passed on with him. I wish to share with his family and friends a Memorial which I wrote for him: "BY THE EDGE OF THE WOODS".........Early morning had presented a blue sky and a mild Summer
warmth. Within the hour, the sky darkened and shared a brisk
breeze with me allowing me to know that Autumn would take
hold of the skies soon enough. The forest nearby beckoned
me and so I asked my neighbor if I could walk in his woods.
His response was always the same...."not my woods".......
"they're God's woods." He'd then tip his hat to me and wave
in my direction. There was no straight path within the forest
but rather one which intertwined through the woods leading
to hillsides and streams. My walk led me uphill so that I
might view the treetops on the other side, a view well worth
the climb. At the crest of the hill, I was greeted by a grove of
Birch. They grew sparsely on the hill and near the edge, I
noticed one which appeared to had been struck by lightning...
a mere seven feet high and splintered at the top; to its side,
I found a portion of its trunk and cutting a length of sturdy
vine, I strapped the fallen piece to the base creating a cross.
Though not cast of gold nor carved by hand, it represented
the Master of these woods and all that which surrounded
them. As I stood before this mighty symbol, a light rain
fell and as tears, the raindrops trickled down the trunk
reminding me of the pain endured by the Son of God, One
who loves us, one who endured suffering for us, and when
the time comes...............
One who will greet us by the edge of the woods.
Written by Ed Finn
