Perhaps the best way to invoke Fran's memory would be by focusing on something that she particularly loved. However, she loved so many things that it was impossible at first to find just one thing. She loved the natural world that offered her flowers and birds and gardens and vast beauty; she loved children, and, through her work, sought to ensure their well being in so many different ways; she loved her family, and often talked about how large the numbers were of people she and husband Reed considered "their family"; and she loved, especially in her years as an elder, thinking deeply about what roles we can play as elders in our families, among friends and in the larger world.
Much of Fran's retirement reading and thinking revolved around matters of the spirit. She and her husband Reed both became involved in the Karida Buddhist Sangha, led by Gyoshin, during their years in Ramah, New Mexico. On her spiritual path as a "conscious elder," she found that her heart resonated deeply with the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin. Fran had by her bedside, at the time of her death, a book of meditations with Kuan Yin created by Gyoshin.
Fran was attracted by the qualities of spirit embodied in Kuan Yin, precisely, Love and Compassion, and a caring attentiveness to the world around her. Those are the qualities of heart and spirit that Fran always sought to manifest in her everyday interactions with the world, and they are the qualities that we most wish to remember as we think about Fran here, now, and forever.
Karida Blessing of the Five Aspirations: Sangha
~May our memories of Fran,
turn the Wheel of The Dharma.
~May our memories of Fran
bring courage to all beings.
~May the Earth bear witness
to our memories of Fran.
~May her memory
benefit all beings.
~May her memory
be centered in our Hearts.
Poetry from Fran's memorial service:
"Mists" by Gyoshin was read by Bridget Simpson
"Trees" by Reed Anderson was read by Jill Acheson
"Arrive, Leave" was read by Tom Himelick
Closing: —A Prayer of Loving Kindness
May each of you
be surrounded by Loving Kindness.
May each of you be well.
May you be Peaceful and at Ease.
May you be happy
LIGHT a 24-hour meditation candle in memory of Fran.
.