“Heart Speaking to Heart… So Great a Cloud of Witnesses”

“Heart Speaking to Heart… So Great A Cloud of Witnesses”

January 8, 2012 Rev. Bruce Southworth, Senior Minister The Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist

Reading

Rev. John Taylor, ordained as a Methodist in 1958, had served as Assistant to Howard Thurman at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel. He became a Unitarian Minister in 1960. His distinguished service included 25 years at the First Unitarian Society in Ithaca. He died last July at age 79. From his writings:

It is an act of courage to live when the days and nights of illness have beaten upon the door of sanity until a kind of haze covers the hours, and we wonder if it is worth it. It is an act of courage to live when a spouse of so many years is gone, and all which gave meaning and purpose and enjoyment to our days is no longer available. It is an act of courage to live when the job which defined a place in the work-a-day world has been eliminated, and the opportunities which were believed to be there have suddenly disappeared. It is an act of courage to live when one is suddenly alone and no one seems to care. It is an act of courage to watch the children grow up and ignore careful teachings and destroy tenderly guarded hopes. It is an act of courage to live in a world which seems to care nothing for the past and which is irresponsible towards the future.

Courage is not as rare as warriors and survivors would have us believe. It is as close as breathing. It is as close as the question: “Why me?” It is as close as the single word “Why?” One would need to be a separated soul protected from life, or one residing innocently in a world of dreams, to live without courage. There are days in all our lives when simply to get out of bed is a great act of courage.

Are we courageous? You bet we are.

This morning I am lifting up some of those witnesses to Life who died in the past year. Many musicians and composers are on that large list, and among them is Barry Llewellyn, a founder of the Jamaican trio the Heptones, who died at age 63. Esther Gordy Edwards was one of the significant contributors to

Motown Records, founded by her brother Berry Gordy. She died this past August at 91.

It turns out that Lee Pockriss, who died last November at age 87, not only co-wrote “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Pocket Dot Bikini” in 1960 (giving a boost to bikini swim suits), but also gave us other pop hits such as “Johnny Angel”, scores for Broadway musicals and films, and “My Polliwog Ways” for Kermit on Sesame Street. A Brooklyn College graduate and musicology student at NYU, he was cryptographer for the Air Force during World War II.

And then there is Jerry Leiber, who died at age 78 last August. Leiber was part of the team with Mike Stoller who wrote “Nothing But a Hound Dog”; the Drifters’ “On Broadway”; “Yakety Yak”; “Stand by Me”; “Fools Fall in Love”; “Love Potion #9”; “Chapel of Love”; “Leader of the Pack” and so many more songs, still offering their charms, such that my twenty-something year old son and daughter seem to be familiar with these.

The song we hear next, “Is That All There Is”, was made popular by Peggy Lee and co-written by Leiber.

… Are we courageous? You bet we are!

“Heart Speaking to Heart… So Great A Cloud of Witnesses”

“Facundo Cabral, 74, Singer of Conscience” was the headline for his obituary.

An Argentinean, novelist, non-fiction author, and activist, Facundo Cabral was foremost a wildly popular singer. He died on July 9 from gunshot wounds while he was on tour in Guatemala. The car in which he was riding was ambushed by unidentified gunmen from three cars while he was on his way to the airport to return to Buenos Aires.

Guatemalan officials indicated that the target of the attack was most likely another passenger in the car, a Nicaraguan nightclub owner.

But it was also reported, “Rigoberta Menchú, the Guatemalan Indian leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, seemed to contradict this view when she said…, ‘I can’t help but think he was assassinated for his ideals.’” (NY Times, 7/11/11)

Facundo Cabral, beginning in the 1970s, had protested against military dictatorships throughout Latin America. From a poor family, he had moved from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego as a child, and there he embraced traditional folk music. His songs blended a mystical spirituality with protest and social justice messages, and his music so challenged the new military dictatorship, which took over in 1976, that he fled to Mexico until 1984.

He recorded more than 2 dozen albums and performed at sold-out concerts throughout Latin America, adding reflections upon philosophy and religion, including Gandhi, Walt Whitman, Mother Teresa and Jorge Luis Borges. In 1996, at age 59, the United Nations designated him “a worldwide messenger of peace.” His upbringing was filled with challenges, and in interviews he often remarked, “I was without a voice until I was 9, illiterate until I was 14, became a widower at 40 and only met my father when I was 46.”

His life and witness to justice through his music caught my attention when I read about his death last summer, and he was known for his aphorisms that have become commonplace sayings. For example, “Never allow yourself to be confused by a handful of killers, because good predominates,” he once said, and then added, “A bomb makes more noise than a caress, but for each bomb that destroys, there are millions of caresses that nourish life.”

“Millions of caresses that nourish life”….

This morning I lift up Rodolpho Enrique Facundo Cabral among the many witnesses to Life who died in 2011.

So great a cloud of witnesses surround us throughout our days… kindred spirits, strangers, partners, antagonists are few I pray, who like us are curious, and wonderfully created, only slightly lower than the angels according to some…

Each of us pilgrims on this journey between our birth day and our death day…

This morning in turning to some of the heroes of the human spirit, I turn also to a text in traditional Christian scripture, [from Hebrews 12:1] that reads, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside any mistake that weighs upon us, and let us [too] run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”

Thanks in abundance to all those who surround us – care for us – and inspire us in our peculiar and difficult times, who in voice and deed showed fidelity to deep values and who just may give you strength and courage in your own choices.

The list of the well-known, and less well-known, this year as every year, goes on and on: those who in ordinary ways made choices… who were like you and me, characters in a story of hope… who like you and me make a difference by the stories we write…. The lives we create….

The small sample this morning is among the many who caught my attention, either along the way, or as I reviewed the past year – each rather different.

At a far distance in geography and circumstance from Cabral was Betty Ford, who for much of her life was no doubt first of all noted as being the wife of Gerald Ford: Michigan Congressman, Speaker of the House, Vice President and then United States President Gerald Ford, who died five years ago at age 93.

Betty Ford died last July also at age 93. They had delayed their marriage in 1948, until shortly before an election, as she reported in an interview, because, "Jerry was running for Congress and wasn't sure how voters might feel about his marrying a divorced ex-dancer." Betty Ford had been a fashion model and member of one of the Martha Graham companies in New York before returning home to Grand Rapids, as well as having been divorced 1947 after a five-year marriage that ended on the grounds of “excessive cruelty” by her first husband, an abusive alcoholic.

Betty Ford turned out to be the most outspoken and candid First Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt, or perhaps ever, and confounded Republican Party conservatives. In a “60 Minutes” interview in 1975, she said that she would not necessarily be upset if her 18-year-old unmarried daughter had an affair, and shortly after that in a McCall’s interview reported that she had sex with her husband “as often as possible.” (“Betty Ford, Pioneer,” Rick Perlstein, NY Times, 7/12/11)

“[Betty] Ford was noted for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy and was a passionate supporter of, and activist for, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). [She was] Pro-choice on abortion and a leader in the Women's Movement.” “She also raised awareness of addiction when she announced her long-running battle with alcoholism in the 1970s”, as well as disclosing her addiction to prescription drugs. Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement.” (Wikipedia) And she supported gay rights.

Perhaps because of her own struggles with her own self-esteem and self- worth, she was able to teach others, and even the nation, about dealing with insecurities and shame and how to confront unwarranted social stigma, and then

… to risk, to grow, to change. She had taken up taboo topics –cancer, premarital sex, alcoholism, her addiction to pills – and embraced unpopular causes like the Equal Rights Amendment for women and gay rights… always affirming the dignity of each person.

I return to that wonderful Latin phrase, “cor ad cor loquitur…. heart speaking to heart.” … offerings that contribute to the millions, the billions, of caresses of life that sustain the world each day… that help us live with our wounds and worries and struggles. Betty Ford was among the witnesses to Life’s spirits in ways she never imagined as a child.

Moving along… some of those who bless are musicians or composers.

Any fans of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band? I know at least one member here has been to more than 50 concerts. And what a loss there is with the death of Clarence Clemons, the powerful tenor saxophone player whose radiant presence will be deeply missed. On a variety of occasions he described their first encounter (perhaps amplified) which went back to the early 1970s.

One night we were playing in Asbury Park. I'd heard The Bruce Springsteen Band was nearby at a club called The Student Prince, and on a break between sets, I walked over there. On- stage, Bruce used to tell different versions of this story but I'm a Baptist, remember, so this is the truth. A rainy, windy night it was, and when I opened the door [at this club] the whole thing flew off its hinges and blew away down the street. The band were on-stage, but staring at me framed in the doorway {Clemons was 6 ‘ 4” tall}. And maybe that did make Bruce a little nervous because I just said, "I want to play with your band," and he said, "Sure, you do anything you want." The first song we did was an early version of "Spirit in the Night". Bruce and I looked at each other and didn't say anything, we just knew. We knew we were the missing links in each other's lives. He was what I'd been searching for. In one way, he was just a scrawny little kid. But he was a visionary. He wanted to follow his dream. So from then on, I was part of history.

Caressing our ears with sweet, sweet sounds…

Another singer/songwriter of the many who died this past year is Phoebe Snow, who died last April at age 60 from complications following a brain hemorrhage. How to describe her career? Her signature hit in 1974 was “Poetry Man,” and she sang jazz, pop, rock, soul, gospel, blues... a contralto from Teaneck High School.…. [Phoebe said, "I've enjoyed performing over the years

with such luminaries as Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Dave Mason, Cheap Trick, Jewel, Buddy Miles, Al Green, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and all the performers at the 1979 "No Nukes "Benefit at Madison Square Garden."]

A few years after that initial breakthrough, she largely dropped out of sight in order to care for her daughter, who had been born with severe brain damage… The infant was not expected to live more than a few years after birth; however, Valerie was 31 in 2007 when she died. Phoebe Snow was her primary caretaker throughout, rather than placing her in an institution. [Phoebe recalled, "She was the only thing that was holding me together," she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008. "My life was her, completely about her, from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed at night."]

"Occasionally I put an album out, but I didn't like to tour, and they didn't get a lot of label support," she told the Chronicle. "But you know what? It didn't really matter because I got to stay home more with Valerie, and that time was precious.”

For me, even better than “Poetry Man” is her song “Either or Both of Me” with its lilting notes and honesty. It is one of my all-time favorites. She tells us:

Sometimes these hands get so clumsy That I drop things and people laugh Sometimes these hands seem so graceful I can see them signin' autographs

What I want to know from you When you hear my plea Do you like or love Either or both of me Do you like or love Either or both of me

Sometimes this face looks so funny That I hide it behind a book But sometimes this face has so much class That I have to sneak a second look

What I want to know from you When you hear my plea Do you like or love Either or both of me Do you like or love Either or both of me

Sometimes this life gets so empty That I become afraid Then I remember you're in it And I think I still might have it made.

Do you like or love Either or both of me.

If we are lucky in love and if we work at it, if we are honest about our flaws and our radiance, we can find someone who somehow loves us, each side of us… the whole package that we are… we can take our insecurity and offer it honestly… and how blessed is that?

Some of us are inventors in other fields… and one of the world class imagineers was Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, a Zen Buddhist, and revolutionary who reshaped “six different industries: personal computers, mobile phones, music publishing, animated films, digital publishing and tablet computing.” He sought to be an innovator, and he describe his approach this way saying: “There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will.”

He was a demanding perfectionist, and alienated quite a few. One early colleague said about Steve Jobs’ larger than life personality that he "would have made an excellent king of France." Yet, a colleague at Pixar described Jobs as a "mature, mellow individual" and never interfered with the creative process of the filmmakers.

He saw his life and work as being at the interface of the humanities and technology. He was an ardent advocate of intuition as primary over pure reason… At least he knew what worked best for him…. Without taking sides on that, or arguing both/and, or dissecting, the important thing is that we know, discover, hone, embrace what works for each of us.

As we write the scripts, the stories of our lives, how do we best fulfill our talents and lives as hope-filled characters, making a difference in our own ways? Without imposing our answers on others? Perhaps with some humility and gratitude for the gifts that are ours, the greatest, of course, this very gift of life itself.

Some choose pursuits quite different from mine, and often something I would never imagine, and in doing so bring joy to many. Norma Lyon died at age 81. She was known as the “butter-cow lady” because she sculpted “tons of

U.S. Grade AA salted butter each year into life-size figures of cows”, and expanded her art to include “famous people [for example Elvis and Garth Brooks] and, once, a diorama of the Last Supper.” “From 1960 until her retirement in 2006, Ms. Lyon’s butter sculpture was among the must-sees at the Iowa State Fair, attracting lines that snaked around the building where it was displayed in a refrigerated glass case. (One inspired writer likened the experience to ‘the viewing of the Pietà in the Vatican.’)” (Wikipedia)

Different talents and callings for each of us!

In the world of sports, John Mackey died last July at age 69 – not only a Hall of Fame tight end in the NFL for the Baltimore Colts, but also the head of the players’ union whose lawsuit against restrictions on free agency in 1972 brought significant changes and benefits to the players. As one manager described him, “He took risks. He stepped out. He was willing to be different.” (NY Times, 7/8/11)

In the arena of profound cultural redefinition and anti-oppression work is Alfred Freedman. Among his many contributions, Freedman was the President of the American Psychiatric Association who helped provide the impetus in 1973 for its declaring that homosexuality is not a mental illness, not a sexual deviation. He won election by 3 votes out of more than 9000 cast. He died at age 94. (NY Times, 4/21/11)

Times grows short, and I may well have a 2nd installment in a couple of weeks

One whom I met here in New York in 1989 and on a few occasions afterwards here and in South Africa was Albertina Sisulu, “Mother of the Nation” who died at age 92. She helped strengthen the women’s wing of the African National Congress, while her husband Walter Sisulu was imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela for 25 years. She herself suffered imprisonment and banning, for more than 18 years, yet remained an activist for a free South Africa. The feminist slogan of resistance she embraced and always declared, going back to 1956, was: “You strike a woman, you strike a rock.”

Finally I shall miss Derrick Bell, a radio listener with whom I corresponded, a guest speaker on a number of occasions, NYU Law Professor, legal scholar and creative theorist, an activist, and friend of ours here at Community. In his wonderful memoir ETHICAL AMBITION, subtitled Living a Life of Meaning and Worth, he again speaks of salvation in the struggle itself, not necessarily the outcomes. He goes deep… He speaks about living with an awareness of death and being prepared to die at any time helps him “in our hedonistic world” to heed the ongoing opportunities to “choose the good over the

feels-good… Not always, certainly not every second, but often enough to become a habit of life that nurtures rather than diminishes us.” (173-4)

Regarding courage, he suggests the rather mundane matter of practicing doing the right thing – whether it be speaking up for unpopular causes or against insensitive comments, or any other moral act. Practice, and more than that Derrick Bell writes, “I’ll let you in on a little secret: Choosing the good and doing good feels good.” (58)

Finally, “It … bears repeating: an ethical life is not a life of sacrifice. It is a life of riches.” Words from one who entered into the struggle for justice as a young man and throughout his life.

So great a cloud of witnesses; these are just a few, and you carry your own favorites…

Is there a uniting theme? Who are these witnesses? Despite their varying degrees of success, their particular talents and skills, they seem to be much like you and me.

And who are we? Who are you?

Are you are a child of a blessed creation, perhaps yea, even God? At the very least, which is so grand, are you are a child of integrity and kindness?

Isn’t that so much of our calling… to be just that – to honor our gifts and potential and to live with integrity? (Thanks to Rev. B. Pescan)

Isn’t that the simple truth? This great a cloud of witnesses includes you, me, all of us.

All of us, as the Singer of Conscience says, who seek, offer and share the “caresses of Life” in its infinite gifts…

We belong to each other as we write our stories.

Thanks be to those who have lived with fidelity to a few deep things, signing the air with their honor… so great a cloud of witnesses who continue to live in us, just as we hope to live on in others.