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| Christmas 2007 |
Scattered Thoughts
Eighth Day
The Eighth Day is the longest day and the least documented. Our little paradise in Oconee County, South Carolina proved not to be outside of the purview of the serpent. Larry’s health required services from the medical community. In fact Ellie had a medical crisis too that required treatment in Greenville. We needed to be closer to doctors and to all the ordinary services including libraries and the internet to which we were accustomed. Added to the isolation of Jocassee Lake Road was the fact that our neighbor, with whom we had been very friendly, sued us over the property line. Becoming entangled with the legal system of a backward rural southern county showed us the dark side of living in paradise.
We solved our problems by buying a house in Ocala, Florida and moving south in September 1999. We left the Friends in Brevard and Greenville, our fourteen acres, the nearby mountains, and our rental property in Clemson and began afesh as the century mark was on the verge of resetting to 2000.
I believe that much of what Larry wrote in the last seventeen years of his life was lost through moving, changing computers, or through failing to save computer documents. But some of his writing is preserved through various means.
He called his genealogical studies complete in 2009 when he posted to Roots Web: THE CLAYTON FAMILY MOVES SOUTH. His interest in Blake waxed and waned; he continued to pursue learning to use computers; and studying and teaching the Bible never failed to interest him.
Tennis which brought us to Ocala originally, was a constant pursuit with interruptions for travel and health issues. Tennis friends helped us move into our house on Eighth Street and became our social group. What luxury to have tennis buddies eager to get on the courts whenever there was daylight or dry lighted courts, and a reasonable range of temperature.
When we arrived in Ocala Larry’s heart was in bad shape although we had no inkling that his heart was diseased before we left SC. In September 2000 he had open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve and install five bypasses of clogged arteries.
In his use of the computer Larry saw himself as an explorer and pioneer. His blogging began in the first year that google made blogspot available as a free service. His computer interest was always directed toward making information available to all who cared to access it. He focused on computer operating systems and programming which were developed by non-professionals and made available in the public domain. He delighted in acquiring various implementations of Linux operating systems and updating to keep up with the latest innovations. He became an end-user supplying content through the use of whatever sites would publish his data.
He called his genealogical studies complete in 2009 when he posted to Roots Web: THE CLAYTON FAMILY MOVES SOUTH. His interest in Blake waxed and waned; he continued to pursue learning to use computers; and studying and teaching the Bible never failed to interest him.
Tennis which brought us to Ocala originally, was a constant pursuit with interruptions for travel and health issues. Tennis friends helped us move into our house on Eighth Street and became our social group. What luxury to have tennis buddies eager to get on the courts whenever there was daylight or dry lighted courts, and a reasonable range of temperature.
When we arrived in Ocala Larry’s heart was in bad shape although we had no inkling that his heart was diseased before we left SC. In September 2000 he had open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve and install five bypasses of clogged arteries.
In his use of the computer Larry saw himself as an explorer and pioneer. His blogging began in the first year that google made blogspot available as a free service. His computer interest was always directed toward making information available to all who cared to access it. He focused on computer operating systems and programming which were developed by non-professionals and made available in the public domain. He delighted in acquiring various implementations of Linux operating systems and updating to keep up with the latest innovations. He became an end-user supplying content through the use of whatever sites would publish his data.
Rob Clayton m Julie Janis - May 24,
1997
When our youngest was married (an outdoor Catholic wedding), I had a chance to read some scripture. I finished with the quotation from "Saint William Blake":
"Throughout Eternity I forgive you, you forgive me;
as the dear Redeemer said, this the wine and this the bread."
November 2004
Draft for Inside/Outside
VISION
I am much too down-to-earth, too ordinary, too uncomplicated. I've never had those kinds of experiences. I had one vision, if you could call it that, a sudden joyous, liberating, overwhelming conviction that my Heavenly Father loved me personally--after years as a skeptic and deist. I know that there is a perfectly natural explanation for what happened to me, and many people would consider it ordinary, but I know, too, that I entered the kingdom of God as a little child.
I am much too down-to-earth, too ordinary, too uncomplicated. I've never had those kinds of experiences. I had one vision, if you could call it that, a sudden joyous, liberating, overwhelming conviction that my Heavenly Father loved me personally--after years as a skeptic and deist. I know that there is a perfectly natural explanation for what happened to me, and many people would consider it ordinary, but I know, too, that I entered the kingdom of God as a little child.
But that's it. It meant an entirely different life than I had been leading; I would be scared to death to allow anything more intense because it would be the "third heaven", and I'm most certainly not qualified.
May 2005
Larry Clayton to Joe Petree
Nice to hear from you, Joe. I thought I had scared you off with my rabid sermon.
Nice to hear from you, Joe. I thought I had scared you off with my rabid sermon.
Heart attack; double by pass. Oh my! In the old days that was a lot more serious than it is today. Still it's good to learn that it's still feasible at our age. I may be due for a retread one of these days - after 7 years.
We're up here in Washington right now, Joe and supposed to start south tomorrow morning., Unfortunately we're taking an eastern route: Ellie made arrangement with our son, Paul, to meet him at the mouth of the Neuse to get acquainted with his sailboat.
A few years ago he said that he meant to sail to Tahiti. Well I knew that wasn't too likely, and there's been no mention of it since. Instead his future may involve a trip to Japan with the girl, Marie, he's been raising - if she finished high school.
Paul's sailboat is not an ocean going vessel, somewhat less. For several years it was stationed at Southport (at the mouth of the Cape Fear). Last year he made the trip up Pamlico Bay. Coincidentally the Clayton family lived down there in the 18th century; ggg grandfather, James Clayton, may have ordained by Francis Asbury, although he never belonged to a conference. He started churches in Craven Co, the Oxford area,
Butts Co. GA, then a couple of counties in Alabama. Quite a pioneer.
He lived to be 86. I'm hoping to achieve that venerable age. If so I will be the first one in the line since James. His son, James, moved to LA and lived (among other places in the area that later became the town of Clayton.)
Ah! Vanity!! I focused on that stuff for several years right after we retired in 1988.
It will likely take a few weeks before you recover full strength, Joe. 3 months after my open heart surgery we were back on the tennis court. I was so grateful at what they had down for me that I go to the hospital every Thursday to pray with the heart patients. I've made a lot of warm friendships that way.
Ellie has gone with Rob (our youngest) to the airport to meet his wife. She has been In San Luis Obispo trying to find a reasonable place for them to live next year. Strange that Mark taught at Cal Poly for a few years on his way to Stanford, and now Rob will be counseling at the same place. We remain amazed at what God has done with our children.
Blessing to you Joe and Ginny as well, and all of yours. I can only say that after my heart surgery I used to tell people that I feel better than I have in years.
But age is catching up on all of us. This trip has been pretty rigorous, and I'll be mighty glad to get home. Home is the right place for such as we.
God bless all you and yours.
Oct 5, 2005
Prayer
(It may be possible to pray without believing in a personal God, but I don't personally know how to do that.)
Prayer is sometimes expressed in one of five ways, called:
1.Praise: Praising God (for me) is above all a way of getting my mind off myself, that irresistibly fascinating subject. A great many of the Psalms are Songs of Praise, likewise Church Hymns. Entering into them is very healing. (For years the hymns meant primarily the music to me; I can whistle a raft of hymns, but ask for the words: I'm too often blank. Now, in the autumn of life, I'm trying to focus on the words (as Ellie does), and I find it tremendously rewarding.)
2. Thanksgiving: Above all give thanks; express gratitude. If you want God's ear, there is no better way. An asthmatic, I thank God for my breath; when the breath God give us stops, we die (physically, that is).
Prayer is sometimes expressed in one of five ways, called:
1.Praise: Praising God (for me) is above all a way of getting my mind off myself, that irresistibly fascinating subject. A great many of the Psalms are Songs of Praise, likewise Church Hymns. Entering into them is very healing. (For years the hymns meant primarily the music to me; I can whistle a raft of hymns, but ask for the words: I'm too often blank. Now, in the autumn of life, I'm trying to focus on the words (as Ellie does), and I find it tremendously rewarding.)
2. Thanksgiving: Above all give thanks; express gratitude. If you want God's ear, there is no better way. An asthmatic, I thank God for my breath; when the breath God give us stops, we die (physically, that is).
3.
Confession: it's good for the soul, we've all heard. It's the best way
to get real. Give up our illusions about how good we are, how generous,
how long suffering. That leads to all sorts of neuroticism, but
confessing who you really are leads to healing humility and peace within
yourself.
4. Intercession: To pray for others is a great thing to do. (Once, newly converted to the love of God, it spread out so that I found a young man, same name as me, but much younger, who was terribly needy-- psychologically. I wanted so badly to help Larry that I prayed (maybe my first honest prayer); Lord, help me to help him. I wanted to so badly that in desperation I prayed a Jacob-like prayer, Lord, if you'll let me help Larry I'll do anything for you. With a sob: I'll even be a minister. Well you know what? I realized that's what I wanted, and from that day 49 years ago I've never thought of myself as, or wanted to be other than a minister.
4. Intercession: To pray for others is a great thing to do. (Once, newly converted to the love of God, it spread out so that I found a young man, same name as me, but much younger, who was terribly needy-- psychologically. I wanted so badly to help Larry that I prayed (maybe my first honest prayer); Lord, help me to help him. I wanted to so badly that in desperation I prayed a Jacob-like prayer, Lord, if you'll let me help Larry I'll do anything for you. With a sob: I'll even be a minister. Well you know what? I realized that's what I wanted, and from that day 49 years ago I've never thought of myself as, or wanted to be other than a minister.
5. Petition: here's the one most of those in what David calls Popular Religion resort to. God, gimme this, gimme that, whatever. Lord save my poor sick child or whoever. God may not do it, then what. Do you resent him from then on? Unfortunately some poor people do.
Here is an addition that I should have included: The Jesus Prayer: something like this:
inspire: Jesus Christ, Son of God;
expire: Have mercy on me a sinner.
Synchonize
those thoughts with your respiration. This is widely used by Eastern
Orthodox Christians. Although I haven't made a practice to praying to
Jesus, I have recently seen real value in this special prayer. It's
actually more a contemplation. In times of stress I resort to the Jesus
Prayer; I become quieter, see things in proportion, and find that the
(self-induced) stress is not at all necessary.
1967-1999
This is a record of our property ownership:
529 Jersey Ave, Winston Salem, NC
March 21, 1967 - July 15, 1977
5012 N 24th ST, Arlington, VA
March 12, 1976 - July 7, 1986
6701 Hallwood Ave, Falls Church, VA
Sep 11, 1978 - June 27, 2000
160 Jocassee Lake Rd, Salem, SC
Aug 24, 1988 - Aug 31, 1999
216 Crestwood Dr, Clemson, SC
Aug 1991 - April 28, 2006
Bretton Woods Condo, Ocala, FL
Feb 11, 1993 - Aug 31, 2004
1906 SE 8th St, Ocala FL
June 1, 1999
529 Jersey Ave, Winston Salem, NC
March 21, 1967 - July 15, 1977
5012 N 24th ST, Arlington, VA
March 12, 1976 - July 7, 1986
6701 Hallwood Ave, Falls Church, VA
Sep 11, 1978 - June 27, 2000
160 Jocassee Lake Rd, Salem, SC
Aug 24, 1988 - Aug 31, 1999
216 Crestwood Dr, Clemson, SC
Aug 1991 - April 28, 2006
Bretton Woods Condo, Ocala, FL
Feb 11, 1993 - Aug 31, 2004
1906 SE 8th St, Ocala FL
June 1, 1999
2005
Larry Clayton to Paul Larsen
Great to hear from you, dear friends. We're in D.C. right now, visiting Rob and Family. Re Ellie's family:
Her brother, Hugh lives there with his family. His wife and two
daughters left N.O. before the Hurricane for North LA. Hugh stayed. The daughters both had homes in Metairie, in Jefferson Parish (no
flooding there).
Hugh stayed in Lakeview, and the house was flooded to the roof. He
managed to get a boat ride to dry land and then walked to his
daughter's home; her husband was still there. Yesterday the two men
went up to where the rest of the family was.
His home is probably totalled, but the two homes in Metarie may be
okay. We're getting rid of our tenant in Clemson, and Ellie would like
for them to live there as long as they want to. I'll be surprised if
Hugh doesn't go back to the NO area in order to help.
It's awful, still impossible to fully grasp. N.O. will be no more,
at least like it was. We find many pleasant memories submerged like
the houses. But who knows? some of the best of it may remain, like the
area around Tulane where I was born.
At the Friends Meeting in Gainesville Sunday a member spoke about
N.O. and suggested we hold the poor in the light. They're certainly the
ones who are suffering.
We hope and pray that you do visit us in December.
Love to you and yours,
Ellie and Larry
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Oh, the Ocean. Fabulous, man!
We were rolling at 5:30, hit the beach a little after 7. We would have missed sunrise by about 10 minutes, if there had been any sunrise. This part of the FL coast almost always has a cloud bank on the eastern horizon at that time of day. So we watched an angry sea in a 40 mile wind, and in 20 minutes the sun emerged over the clouds.
This morning there were ripple-like clouds in the sky, and the hidden sun painted them with delicate pastel colors-- for only a few minutes; we were glad we were there.
Comfortably togged out in the big coat sister Joel had given me after Austin died; Ellie had less covering and had to find a protected nook. 15 minutes there in the wind made the whole trip well worth while, but there's more!
The ospreys! ! Oh my! They would hang in that gale like you may sit in your living room. They got back behind the turbulent water, luring the fish to the surface (the wind was driving the fish right to the osprey's table!). About 150 feet above the surface they would drift against the wind (really!) until suddenly--wham! Down like a dive bomber' I mean straight down, vertically! They lazily stop an inch above the surface, delicately dip their beat into the water (or is it their claw?) and rise into the air with a good sized fish. High into the air they would rise and go off somewhere to enjoy breakfast, or maybe to feed the babies.
The day progressed with complete satisfaction. We drove up the coast to St. Augustine. This is one of the few places on the East Coast (aside from South Florida) where you can drive along and enjoy the waves, the birds, God's good earth almost like it was in the beginning.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
The First Osprey
Sunday we went to Meeting as usual. 30 minutes of silence; then Ellie began what proved to be a lengthy message about our visit to the beach, majoring on our experience with the ospreys.
As I listened, I began to wonder if a spiritual message might be forthcoming, and indeed Ellie spoke of the joy of such experiences, always coming from God. Then silence.
Ellie was so right. She inspired me to follow her lead as usual, and after a decent interval to make my contribution:
We are the fish of the sea; God is an Osprey. From the sky he watches us, waiting patiently for the propitious moment. Then like a rock he falls upon, takes us in his loving arms.
We wonder what may happen next. In the course of time we come to see that God means us to help in the ongoing work of Creation. Finally we realize that we are Co-creators with God. Is there any higher calling?
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Intro to the Divine Economy
In 1973 we moved to D.C. to be a part of the Church of the Savior. I was amazed and delighted to find a lot of radical Christians who seemed to be largely free from the language of Zion. We spent 10 years there and were then "promoted!" to Langley Hill Society of Friends. There we found much of the same, and more; in the many other meetings we've visited since then we have found a notable absence of the sort of language used by conventional Christians.
I became aware of the fact that an unspoken division exists between Christocentric and other Quakers. Under these circumstances oddly enough I felt a strong inclination to use the language of Zion - perhaps to be provocative. In the past 20 years I've used it freely in many meetings, and not yet been called on it.
With this little paper Ellie has given us the gospel without the holy language. For a student of the Bible it would be easy to provide close analogues of most of her statements in biblical language. So we have here two languages setting forth the same realities.
They concern the material and the spiritual world. Years ago Ellie worked as a mainframe manager for a government agency. Among her associates one attractive young man had just married an equally attractive young woman when she almost immediately suffered a terrible and crippling auto accident.
Ellie often had occasion to relate to him, professionally and personally. Once she told him that we are both bodies and spirits, and that she was primarily a spirit. He replied that he was primarily a body.
Ellie's paper can be found at Ellie's Divine Economy. In it she frames a portal between material and spiritual discourse.
In 1973 we moved to D.C. to be a part of the Church of the Savior. I was amazed and delighted to find a lot of radical Christians who seemed to be largely free from the language of Zion. We spent 10 years there and were then "promoted!" to Langley Hill Society of Friends. There we found much of the same, and more; in the many other meetings we've visited since then we have found a notable absence of the sort of language used by conventional Christians.
I became aware of the fact that an unspoken division exists between Christocentric and other Quakers. Under these circumstances oddly enough I felt a strong inclination to use the language of Zion - perhaps to be provocative. In the past 20 years I've used it freely in many meetings, and not yet been called on it.
With this little paper Ellie has given us the gospel without the holy language. For a student of the Bible it would be easy to provide close analogues of most of her statements in biblical language. So we have here two languages setting forth the same realities.
They concern the material and the spiritual world. Years ago Ellie worked as a mainframe manager for a government agency. Among her associates one attractive young man had just married an equally attractive young woman when she almost immediately suffered a terrible and crippling auto accident.
Ellie often had occasion to relate to him, professionally and personally. Once she told him that we are both bodies and spirits, and that she was primarily a spirit. He replied that he was primarily a body.
Ellie's paper can be found at Ellie's Divine Economy. In it she frames a portal between material and spiritual discourse.
Friday, November 09, 2007
On our way to the shopping center (6 miles) my good wife said "keep your
mind on your driving". I hark back to a long lost military flic:
The hero walked into a room meaning to kill some armed enemies sitting around a table. He instantaneously evaluated each man according to readiness: the guy already moving got the first bullet, the man most obviously in charge got the next, and so on sequentially down to the last man, the sluggard.
So it is with life; we prioritize: the most important thing first; when we don't have our focus, we mess up.
In Blake's myth the most important thing is neglected by those who fall asleep in Beulah, and then into Ulro. They have forgotten the primary thing, the Spirit, Life Eternal. Drowned in the sea of time and space they can do nothing right; "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" have taken possession of them (us!).
Like Buddha they have to live through the mistakes of life, try them all and learn the hard way.
Finally reborn, generated and regenerated, they gain their focus: they learn to refuse all the distraction and find their way back to the Garden.
Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing (Kierkegaard)
To Will One Thing
The hero walked into a room meaning to kill some armed enemies sitting around a table. He instantaneously evaluated each man according to readiness: the guy already moving got the first bullet, the man most obviously in charge got the next, and so on sequentially down to the last man, the sluggard.
So it is with life; we prioritize: the most important thing first; when we don't have our focus, we mess up.
In Blake's myth the most important thing is neglected by those who fall asleep in Beulah, and then into Ulro. They have forgotten the primary thing, the Spirit, Life Eternal. Drowned in the sea of time and space they can do nothing right; "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" have taken possession of them (us!).
Like Buddha they have to live through the mistakes of life, try them all and learn the hard way.
Finally reborn, generated and regenerated, they gain their focus: they learn to refuse all the distraction and find their way back to the Garden.
Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing (Kierkegaard)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
All Ages
A red letter day in my weekly routine is to visit the cardiac and vascular wards of our hospital. I meet heart patients of all ages and conditions; it's an inspiration to observe the fortitude and simulated calm with which they wait for what comes.
The oldest ones especially inspire me, and I make a special effort to instill encouragement into our dialogue: "You're 88; wow; you don't look that old." The nonagenarians in particular generally show a demeanor that I look forward to achieving. It's as if "been there; don't that" applies to everything in their experience, and they're glad to be where they are--- not all of them, but most of them. Speaking in general those without a positive outlook are no longer with us.
After a prayer, when I'm leaving I generally say something like "I hope I make it to your age" (92, whatever); many or most of them say calmly, "You will". I don't know whether I do much for them, but they sure do a lot for me.
All Ages
A red letter day in my weekly routine is to visit the cardiac and vascular wards of our hospital. I meet heart patients of all ages and conditions; it's an inspiration to observe the fortitude and simulated calm with which they wait for what comes.
The oldest ones especially inspire me, and I make a special effort to instill encouragement into our dialogue: "You're 88; wow; you don't look that old." The nonagenarians in particular generally show a demeanor that I look forward to achieving. It's as if "been there; don't that" applies to everything in their experience, and they're glad to be where they are--- not all of them, but most of them. Speaking in general those without a positive outlook are no longer with us.
After a prayer, when I'm leaving I generally say something like "I hope I make it to your age" (92, whatever); many or most of them say calmly, "You will". I don't know whether I do much for them, but they sure do a lot for me.
"O Father we know you love us and want the best for us.
You've given us this hospital, and the doctors and nurses are your servants of healing.
I pray, Lord, for complete healing for my friend in body and mind.
Whatever happens we know we are okay."
If you should pass on before I do I'll be glad to meet you up there.
"Help somebody today;
somebody along life's way
Let sorrow be ended,
the friendless befriended,
Oh, help somebody today!"
In all likelihood they are desperately short of volunteers at your local hospital. If you feel able to meet folks of all ages and conditions, you will be very welcome there.
LARRY'S BLAKEAN THEOLOGY
A free Blakean translation of John 3.16 with a touch of Philippians 2 added might read:
"God so forgave the world that he annihilated his transcendent Deity and united himself through a corporeal sepulcher with sinful, materialistic man to lift us up to Eternity."
Here is the ultimate of spiritual authority, and those who meet Jesus begin to exercise it in the way that he did.
John 3
[15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
First John 4
[12] No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
[13] Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
"God so forgave the world that he annihilated his transcendent Deity and united himself through a corporeal sepulcher with sinful, materialistic man to lift us up to Eternity."
Here is the ultimate of spiritual authority, and those who meet Jesus begin to exercise it in the way that he did.
John 3
[15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
First John 4
[12] No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
[13] Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Practice
Blake's life, like all our lives, is made up of an outer life of various sorts of pursuits and an inner life of non-material pursuits, such as prayer and other forms of worship. Most of us are more disposed toward the outer life. In contrast Blake's inner life took up most of his time; he considered the outer life of relatively little consequence.
"I assert for My self that I do not behold the Outward Creation & that to me it is hindrance & not Action it is as the Dirt upon my feet"
(Vision of the Last Judgment; Erdman 565)
All of Blake's magnificent creations came of course from his inner life. To understand Blake and read him intelligently we must have some command of our own inner life. For him it came naturally, but we have to make some effort for it.
Our inner life begins with learning self control (which was said to be the last of the fruits of the Spirit). A friend of mine, Elizabeth O'Connor wrote a book entitled Search for Silence which helped me move into the inner life better than anything else I know.
The inner life can only be expressed metaphorically. Everyone, even Blake, was forced to use metaphors: the language of the inner life is completely metaphorical, poetic, mythopoeic. So who do you suppose is most likely to have a robust inner life?
Religious folk? Well Blake wasn't so warm about them. In MHH he referred to them as the Elect, using heavy irony. As for religious professionals he poured on them the heaviest scorn:
"The ancient Poets animated all sensible objects with Gods or Geniuses, calling them by the names and adorning them with the properties of woods, rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, nations, and whatever their enlarged & numerous senses could percieve.
And particularly they studied the genius of each city & country, placing it under its mental deity;
Till a system was formed, which some took advantage of & enslav'd the vulgar by attempting to realize or abstract the mental deities from their objects: thus began Priesthood;
Choosing forms of worship from poetic tales.
And at length they pronounc'd that the Gods had order'd such things.
Thus men forgot that All deities reside in the human breast.”( MHH, Plate 11)
No, he said artists!
"Let every Christian as much as in him lies engage himself openly & publicly before all the World in some Mental pursuit for the Building up of Jerusalem” (Jerusalem, Erdman 232)
and
"A Poet a Painter a Musician an Architect: the Man
Or Woman who is not one of these is not a Christian
....The unproductive Man is not a Christian much less the Destroyer”
(The Laocoon; Erdman 274)
Everyone has an inner life, but it may be fallen or heavenly, egocentric or worshipful, Martha or Mary - depending upon your disposition. Call it God's will or your will. Blake was guilty of both forms, but he strongly leaned toward the heavenly. To be Blakean involves doing the same
July 2011
In 2011 Larry taught a short enrichment course in Blake at the Senior Learning Institute of the College of Central Florida. He concluded the course with this precis of Blake's Milton.
"In the second half of his career Blake had largely dropped his preoccupation with the Old Testament God and in favor of the New Testament God. His first large prophetic poem, Milton begins with a famous poem called Jerusalem that latter became the theme song of the British Labor party; it is often sung as a a hymn.
This material is autobiographical and written in the honeymoon phase of his new spiritual life. Blake's full meanings yield only to intensive study, but from the beginning there are thrilling lines to delight and inspire the reader. In his esoteric language Blake describes for us what has happened to him, and nothing could be more engrossing for the reader interested in the life of the spirit and in Blake. The relationship of this story to the myth described above should be obvious. But Milton is more real than the previous material because Blake has lived it and writes (and sketches) with spiritual senses enlarged and tuned by his recent experience of grace."
Friday, December 30, 2011
Ageing
For many years I used to say, "this is the best year of my life".
But everything comes to an end.
2012 looms ahead as a stopping point. There will be many challenges; there will be triumphs-- and failures. This is par for the course, but right now with greater intensity than ever before.
Two years ago, when Ellie took up Blake, a great new vitality came into our lives. What had been my (occasional) obsession became a primary interest for us. For two years we have posted on William Blake: Religion and Psychology, one or the other each day (ramhornd.blogspot.com).
That was a new discipline for me; heretofore I did Blake sporadically for a few months and then something else for a few months. But every day!! No way, until two years ago. A salutary development. (It occurred to me that this might have been the shape of my life, had not ten wartime years intruded over most of my twenties.)
However this intensive mental activity came at a cost. After an intense two hours doing research I discovered I was sleepy (you might say my brain started getting sluggish). Strangely enough it was much like what happened to me after two intense hours of tennis.
Wow! a Discovery! Intense mental activity and/or physical activity led to a diminution of energy - for one or the other.
For an old man the challenge of this is to learn balanced habits that use the appropriate amount of the two activities - to go from one to the other. Perhaps this was simple second nature to many people much younger that my (advanced) age, but for me it was a Revelation.
Memory is the greatest problem. Strangely enough a fairly large vocabulary was still in force, but I was frequently guilty of making up a sentence with appropriate words, only to the find the appropriate words forgotten before I got around to writing it; like going to the kitchen for something and forgetting the purpose before I got there.)
Memory is something to fight for. There are in fact two levels: the immediate memory continually diminished, but a (largely) unconscious reservoir exists available under certain circumstances. The challenge is to learn how to use it more consciously. Memory loss is one of the primary concomitants of Alzheimer's disease and similar disabilities.
How can we learn to remember?
But everything comes to an end.
2012 looms ahead as a stopping point. There will be many challenges; there will be triumphs-- and failures. This is par for the course, but right now with greater intensity than ever before.
Two years ago, when Ellie took up Blake, a great new vitality came into our lives. What had been my (occasional) obsession became a primary interest for us. For two years we have posted on William Blake: Religion and Psychology, one or the other each day (ramhornd.blogspot.com).
That was a new discipline for me; heretofore I did Blake sporadically for a few months and then something else for a few months. But every day!! No way, until two years ago. A salutary development. (It occurred to me that this might have been the shape of my life, had not ten wartime years intruded over most of my twenties.)
However this intensive mental activity came at a cost. After an intense two hours doing research I discovered I was sleepy (you might say my brain started getting sluggish). Strangely enough it was much like what happened to me after two intense hours of tennis.
Wow! a Discovery! Intense mental activity and/or physical activity led to a diminution of energy - for one or the other.
For an old man the challenge of this is to learn balanced habits that use the appropriate amount of the two activities - to go from one to the other. Perhaps this was simple second nature to many people much younger that my (advanced) age, but for me it was a Revelation.
Memory is the greatest problem. Strangely enough a fairly large vocabulary was still in force, but I was frequently guilty of making up a sentence with appropriate words, only to the find the appropriate words forgotten before I got around to writing it; like going to the kitchen for something and forgetting the purpose before I got there.)
Memory is something to fight for. There are in fact two levels: the immediate memory continually diminished, but a (largely) unconscious reservoir exists available under certain circumstances. The challenge is to learn how to use it more consciously. Memory loss is one of the primary concomitants of Alzheimer's disease and similar disabilities.
How can we learn to remember?
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Balance
We old-timers (especially if we have heart failure) tend to see our
balance getting precarious. Although I've played vigorous tennis 4 or 5
times a week for the last forty years, I've only rarely tipped over;
that was when my wife lobbed over my head and I (indiscreetly) peddled
backward with my head turned up to follow the ball. I landed on the back of my head. My scalp was
repaired with several stitches.
But as the years go by my balance seems to worsen. No doctor has ever spoken to me about this, but I found (through the internet) that it's a natural consequence of inactivity.
I'm not inactive; in fact I'm very active, but much of the activity is mental, such as writing this post, so I should say that a diminished balance is a natural consequence of reduced physical inactivity.
But I'm not that either (obviously). I recently came to see that balance requires special care to provide a boost. Balance, mental acuity and physical strength all depend upon practice. Use it or lose it holds true in all three cases (how many other cases? I wonder!)
So I'm practicing my balance, doing things like standing on one leg (how long can you stand on one leg?). Once upon a time I could stand on my head with ease, but that was before ageing 'got to rolling'.
But as the years go by my balance seems to worsen. No doctor has ever spoken to me about this, but I found (through the internet) that it's a natural consequence of inactivity.
I'm not inactive; in fact I'm very active, but much of the activity is mental, such as writing this post, so I should say that a diminished balance is a natural consequence of reduced physical inactivity.
But I'm not that either (obviously). I recently came to see that balance requires special care to provide a boost. Balance, mental acuity and physical strength all depend upon practice. Use it or lose it holds true in all three cases (how many other cases? I wonder!)
So I'm practicing my balance, doing things like standing on one leg (how long can you stand on one leg?). Once upon a time I could stand on my head with ease, but that was before ageing 'got to rolling'.
2008 - 2016
The Friends Meeting of Ocala (a Worship Group) met in our home from 2008 - 2016.
We often closed the gathering with this hymn:
1. Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
2. Before our Father's throne we pour our ardent prayers;
our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.
3. We share each other's woes, our mutual burdens bear;
and often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.
4. When we asunder part it gives us inward pain;
but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.
We often closed the gathering with this hymn:
1. Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
2. Before our Father's throne we pour our ardent prayers;
our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.
3. We share each other's woes, our mutual burdens bear;
and often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.
4. When we asunder part it gives us inward pain;
but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.
2014
Typology
Being a devotee of Northrop Frey's Fearful Symmetry, Larry eagerly devoured two of his later books, The Great Code and Words With Power which are studies of the Bible and literature.
In The Great Code: The Bible and Literature, Chapter Four is entitled Typology. This was a great discovery for me; in large part it unlocked the secret of Blake's use of the Bible (and of every other poet's use of it for that matter). Once you outgrow the naive notion of 'Biblical inerrancy' and the idea that every word of it is historically true, you are to some degree on your own. I long ago settled on the awareness that:
1. 'every word of the Bible is poetry' (you may certainly debate that if you wish)
and
2. 'poetry is the highest form of truth.'
Truth is in the mind of the believer. Our belief is a function of our psyche, and everyone's psyche is unique (unless you believe that we're all lemmings). So what does the Bible mean? Not history! History is subjective; everyone chooses his own history. Poetry is subjective in a more creative way; to a large degree it's a function of your experience (and mine - very different). What it boils down to is that one man's truth may (appear to) be another man's lie.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
More on Frye
All words are metaphors; the meanings they convey depend upon the author's mind - and frame of mind when he writes them; and upon the reader's (or hearer's) mind when he reads or hears them. (Most of the purposeless arguments over virtually anything stem from failure to understand this basic fact.)
For Western culture the Bible is the Great Code of Art; it embodies the Universal Myth, basically fourfold: Creation, The Fall, Redemption, Apocalypse. Blake believed that it was the guiding myth under-girding virtually all discourse.
LAST TRIP
Although Larry was born in the flatlands, he fell in love with the Appalachian Mountains when we first visited them in 1958. In 1963 we moved to North Carolina to be near the mountains. For about 40 years we lived near enough to the mountains to visit them in a few hours or less. Moving to Florida in 1999 meant that we only see mountains occasionally. We expect this may be the last time we see them.We started our trip to Chattanooga on Sunday but didn't get very far. Larry fell on his face at the Georgia Visitors Center and went to the Emergency Room at Valdosta. There are fractures in bones around his eye socket. We got back to Ocala around 8 o'clock Sunday.
Larry's injury required surgery. During the entire process we were supported by God's love and by
that of friends and family. We put ourselves in the hands of
doctors, nurses and medical folks knowing that they are
working to make him well and whole again.
After
several days in the hospital we returned home. We took it
slowly until Larry regained strength and agility. His
improvement day to day was remarkable. He
will use the walker until he is steadier. We are hoping for
a complete recovery.
2015
JUDITH LARSEN
In 1983 I attended my first unprogramed Quaker Meeting. Larry and I were looking for a new faith community which would meet our need for a less structured and organized experience of worship. We stumbled onto the Langley Hill Friends Meeting in McLean, Virginia. To our surprise, on the bench in front of us was Judith Larsen who was Larry's coworker at EPA. Judith and her husband Paul instantly befriended us. Their love and generosity of spirit has sustained a relationship over time and distance as we travel our journeys through the vicissitudes of life. At present Larry and I live in Florida and are a part of a Quaker worship group called Friends Meeting of Ocala. Paul and Judith live in Washington state and their meeting is the Agate Passage Friends Meeting on Bainbridge Island in Washington State.
Since Paul and Judith moved west they have journeyed to the east each winter to teach, and study, and sustain bonds of friendship with their eastern companions on the journey. Judith became interested in becoming more familiar with the course of events which had shaped the lives of her friends whose lives had spanned many decades. She recorded interviews with these older friends, guiding them to relate the significant experiences which gave definition to their lives. From her interviews she has constructed a book in which she followed thirteen individuals through seven or more decades of becoming themselves.
Larry and I are two of the people she interviewed on visits to our home in Florida. We have been pleased that Paul and Judith have worshiped with us in our Ocala Quaker Meeting and in the Gainesville Meeting as well.
Judith's book, Discovering Ourselves: Thirteen Conversations can be purchased through Amazon. Much of the contents can be read online by clicking Look inside over the picture of the book's cover at Amazon.
In 1983 I attended my first unprogramed Quaker Meeting. Larry and I were looking for a new faith community which would meet our need for a less structured and organized experience of worship. We stumbled onto the Langley Hill Friends Meeting in McLean, Virginia. To our surprise, on the bench in front of us was Judith Larsen who was Larry's coworker at EPA. Judith and her husband Paul instantly befriended us. Their love and generosity of spirit has sustained a relationship over time and distance as we travel our journeys through the vicissitudes of life. At present Larry and I live in Florida and are a part of a Quaker worship group called Friends Meeting of Ocala. Paul and Judith live in Washington state and their meeting is the Agate Passage Friends Meeting on Bainbridge Island in Washington State.
Since Paul and Judith moved west they have journeyed to the east each winter to teach, and study, and sustain bonds of friendship with their eastern companions on the journey. Judith became interested in becoming more familiar with the course of events which had shaped the lives of her friends whose lives had spanned many decades. She recorded interviews with these older friends, guiding them to relate the significant experiences which gave definition to their lives. From her interviews she has constructed a book in which she followed thirteen individuals through seven or more decades of becoming themselves.
Larry and I are two of the people she interviewed on visits to our home in Florida. We have been pleased that Paul and Judith have worshiped with us in our Ocala Quaker Meeting and in the Gainesville Meeting as well.
Judith's book, Discovering Ourselves: Thirteen Conversations can be purchased through Amazon. Much of the contents can be read online by clicking Look inside over the picture of the book's cover at Amazon.
Quotes from Judith's book:
"Underneath the good works, however, Larry is a radical man in the early Christian sense."
"I have no home. My home is upstairs.
I worked for three institutions, but they didn’t own me.
Society is to me what it was to Dickens – he never fails to lampoon society. Society is for the birds.
I like myself. Some people like me and others don’t and that’s all right.
[As for society] I’d be content for the tent to collapse. An entire shakeup. We need that, another revolution. Divine intervention."
Sunday, June 12, 2016
WORSHIP GROUP LAID DOWN
Unfortunately there are too few attending our Ocala Worship Group to continue to meet. We had hoped to locate more Quakers in our area to replace those whom we had lost, but we have not been successful. Since we were unofficial to begin with, there is little action that is needed to "lay the meeting down." Ocala Worship Group has been removed from the SEYM meeting list and the QUAKERS MEET HERE sign has been removed from the front yard.
We appreciate the support we have received from the yearly meeting and from Gainesville Monthly meeting during the eight years Quakers have been meeting at our home. Although there is a long history of Quakers meeting in Ocala the time has come to accept the fact that we cannot carry on. We are sorry that there will no longer be a meeting in this area for the Quakers who are passing through to stop and strengthen the bonds of the wider fellowship. We rejoice in what we have had through the years, and look forward to what lies ahead.
Our thanks to all who shared with us the privilege of being a Quaker presence in Ocala.
Larry Clayton
We began attending the Gainesville Meeting every week. Larry continued as the convener of the monthly Bible Study. The disadvantage of doing additional driving was balanced by the opportunity to strengthen ties with many Quakers in Gainesville.
Unfortunately there are too few attending our Ocala Worship Group to continue to meet. We had hoped to locate more Quakers in our area to replace those whom we had lost, but we have not been successful. Since we were unofficial to begin with, there is little action that is needed to "lay the meeting down." Ocala Worship Group has been removed from the SEYM meeting list and the QUAKERS MEET HERE sign has been removed from the front yard.
We appreciate the support we have received from the yearly meeting and from Gainesville Monthly meeting during the eight years Quakers have been meeting at our home. Although there is a long history of Quakers meeting in Ocala the time has come to accept the fact that we cannot carry on. We are sorry that there will no longer be a meeting in this area for the Quakers who are passing through to stop and strengthen the bonds of the wider fellowship. We rejoice in what we have had through the years, and look forward to what lies ahead.
Our thanks to all who shared with us the privilege of being a Quaker presence in Ocala.
Larry Clayton
We began attending the Gainesville Meeting every week. Larry continued as the convener of the monthly Bible Study. The disadvantage of doing additional driving was balanced by the opportunity to strengthen ties with many Quakers in Gainesville.
Tennis
was one of the chief consolations during Larry's last year of life in
the form of the Tennis Channel. They broadcast endless tennis. You can
see all your favorites, analyze their games, appreciate their skill and
agonize over their failures. When other activities became challenging,
watching Roger Federer make life worthwhile for one tennis fan.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
CLAYTON GATHERING
We had the house full for a few days in mid-March to recognize the the milestone Larry has achieved. I'm sure I enjoyed the event more than anyone else but everyone seemed to enjoy being together. It is hard for me to settle on what meant the most to me. Was it playing tennis with 2 sons and 2 grandchildren? Or was it enjoying a few games of noncompetitive Scrabble with anyone who would play? Was it appreciating the attention that each family member showered on the birthday boy. Also we did one art project involving Rennie, Ryan, Julie and me which was fun. But I think the top of the list would have to be listening our three middle-aged sons contributing their expertise to trying to solve the world's problems. Although everyone was able to express his/her individuality, we did so without conflict or selfishness.
Rennie had suggested ahead of time that we duplicate the family photograph that hangs on the wall in the living room. So Paul set it up, we all posed, and we now have a record of the Clayton clan in Dec 2006 compared to us in March 2016.
Rob wrote a booklet in appreciation of his dad from which I will give a short quote:
"All of these qualities: your profound spirituality; your passion for justice; your identification with the oppressed; your compassionate service to others; your commitment to interpersonal engagement; and your determination to follow your own path; all of these qualities have been passed on to me. I find myself proud to feel that, in many ways, I am carrying on your works."
Altogether it was a fitting celebration.
First Posted in 2010, reposted in 2016
Catherine
Blake said her only problem with her husband was that he spent too much
time in Heaven. In our dreams we may be closer to Blake's Heaven than
is possible in our waking hours. Some day we may realize that where we
live now is largely vaporous.
Dream sequence:
The other day I had dinner with Blake, and I asked him if he had said all he had to say by 1828. He said "'pretty much', 'pretty much', especially if you've experienced all the words and pictures that I left behind."
I asked him if there was anything more he would like to tell us now from his present life. He said, "Oh yes, a great deal; but I've experienced nothing that your corporeal mind would find meaningful." He went on to say that where he now lived and what he now knew was separated from me by a great chasm, much like the one between Lazarus in Abraham's bosom and Dives.
He reminded me of Paul's experience in the Third Heaven where "He heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter".
I asked Blake if he had recently come in contact with Isaiah or Ezekiel. He said that Ezekiel and he had become bosom buddies, "We laughed together over the peculiar directive that Ezekiel had received from God." He also told Ezekiel that that affair had meant a lot to him and given him a vivid awareness of the "perception of the infinite". (MHH13, E39)
Blake went on to say that in due course, at the acceptable time, he would be glad to introduce me to Ezekiel or to anyone else I desired to meet. He also would arrange a tennis match for me with Kenny Rosewall.
I was just about to make further requests when the alarm clock sounded, and I was aroused from my Heavenly Vision or perhaps I went back to the corporeal sleep.
The other day I had dinner with Blake, and I asked him if he had said all he had to say by 1828. He said "'pretty much', 'pretty much', especially if you've experienced all the words and pictures that I left behind."
I asked him if there was anything more he would like to tell us now from his present life. He said, "Oh yes, a great deal; but I've experienced nothing that your corporeal mind would find meaningful." He went on to say that where he now lived and what he now knew was separated from me by a great chasm, much like the one between Lazarus in Abraham's bosom and Dives.
He reminded me of Paul's experience in the Third Heaven where "He heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter".
I asked Blake if he had recently come in contact with Isaiah or Ezekiel. He said that Ezekiel and he had become bosom buddies, "We laughed together over the peculiar directive that Ezekiel had received from God." He also told Ezekiel that that affair had meant a lot to him and given him a vivid awareness of the "perception of the infinite". (MHH13, E39)
Blake went on to say that in due course, at the acceptable time, he would be glad to introduce me to Ezekiel or to anyone else I desired to meet. He also would arrange a tennis match for me with Kenny Rosewall.
I was just about to make further requests when the alarm clock sounded, and I was aroused from my Heavenly Vision or perhaps I went back to the corporeal sleep.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Thanksgiving
A true thanks for what seems to me a joyful awakening after at least an eight hour slumber. Now a shower in time to meet Mark and Rebecca for a picnic at the park.
In due course we went east to the park [Silver Springs State Park] where we found Mark, Rebecca and her son Andrew; we used her annual pass to enter and found fewer people there than we expected. I used my walker to go to the table, but found less food that appealed to me expect the chocolate pie.
Good trip.
In due course we went east to the park [Silver Springs State Park] where we found Mark, Rebecca and her son Andrew; we used her annual pass to enter and found fewer people there than we expected. I used my walker to go to the table, but found less food that appealed to me expect the chocolate pie.
Good trip.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
ICU - Dec 2016
Each Morning when Larry was in the ICU his medical team including doctors, nurses and therapists would make their rounds to discuss his case. Mark or Paul joined the group to learn what they could. I stayed in the room with Larry behind the glass wall of sliding doors. After the conference in the hall his doctor would visit with Larry to see how he was responding. His primary doctor for several days had been Dr Ang. Since he would not be the doctor in charge the next day, I thanked him for all he had done for Larry and for what the unit was continuing to do. His gracious reply was that we were good people and that he liked helping good people because they would save the world. My heart was warmed to know that he showed that kind of love for us and recognized that saving the world was in the hands of good people working together in whatever capacity they found themselves in.
ICU - Dec 2016
Each Morning when Larry was in the ICU his medical team including doctors, nurses and therapists would make their rounds to discuss his case. Mark or Paul joined the group to learn what they could. I stayed in the room with Larry behind the glass wall of sliding doors. After the conference in the hall his doctor would visit with Larry to see how he was responding. His primary doctor for several days had been Dr Ang. Since he would not be the doctor in charge the next day, I thanked him for all he had done for Larry and for what the unit was continuing to do. His gracious reply was that we were good people and that he liked helping good people because they would save the world. My heart was warmed to know that he showed that kind of love for us and recognized that saving the world was in the hands of good people working together in whatever capacity they found themselves in.
January 2017
Larry's Memorial Meeting was held at Gainesville on January 1, 2017.
Robert Lawrence Clayton
March 7, 1927 - December 23, 2016
Larry was the son of a Methodist Minister and a Methodist Minister Himself. He was a seeker after the truth and a follower of his Lord Jesus.
While a youth as a Merchant Seaman he traveled the world during World War II. Uncle Sam required his services again as a Radio Operator in the Navy during the Korean Conflict.
In 1949 he was able to complete his degree in natural science at Duke University. Seeing the emptiness of life without a spiritual commitment, he answered the call to ministry and enrolled in seminary in 1955. He found and married his partner in God's work, Eleanor Babylon, a couple of years later.
He served churches as a Methodist Minister for eight years. The Lord opened to him a ministry to alcoholics which he pursued as a probation officer for alcoholics for eleven years in NC. He then followed a leading to participate in the Church of the Savior in Washington, DC, a model church which urged its members to follow an inward and outward journey.
He became fascinated by the poet William Blake whose spiritual teachings were to influence his thinking and living through the rest of his life. In 1985 his journey led him to Langley Hill Friends Meeting which became his church home until he retired. In later years he participated in the Brevard Friends Meeting, helped to originate the Greenville Friends Meeting, hosted the Friends Worship Group of Ocala, and led the Bible Study at the Gainesville Friends Meeting. His ministry included volunteering weekly at Munroe Regional Medical Center to visit and pray with heart patients.
He counted his blessings every day and marveled at God's Amazing Grace.
No work in his life pleased him more than raising his three sons. He will be missed by his wife Ellie; his sons Paul, Mark and Rob; his two granddaughters Marie and Rennie; his grandson Ryan; and great-grandson Lars.
William Blake, Jerusalem, Plate 5
"I rest not from my great task!
To open the Eternal Worlds, to open the immortal Eyes
Of Man inwards into the Worlds of Thought: into Eternity
Ever expanding in the Bosom of God. the Human Imagination
O Saviour pour upon me thy Spirit of meekness & love:"
November 2017
Robert Lawrence Clayton
March 7, 1927 - December 23, 2016
Larry was the son of a Methodist Minister and a Methodist Minister Himself. He was a seeker after the truth and a follower of his Lord Jesus.
While a youth as a Merchant Seaman he traveled the world during World War II. Uncle Sam required his services again as a Radio Operator in the Navy during the Korean Conflict.
In 1949 he was able to complete his degree in natural science at Duke University. Seeing the emptiness of life without a spiritual commitment, he answered the call to ministry and enrolled in seminary in 1955. He found and married his partner in God's work, Eleanor Babylon, a couple of years later.
He served churches as a Methodist Minister for eight years. The Lord opened to him a ministry to alcoholics which he pursued as a probation officer for alcoholics for eleven years in NC. He then followed a leading to participate in the Church of the Savior in Washington, DC, a model church which urged its members to follow an inward and outward journey.
He became fascinated by the poet William Blake whose spiritual teachings were to influence his thinking and living through the rest of his life. In 1985 his journey led him to Langley Hill Friends Meeting which became his church home until he retired. In later years he participated in the Brevard Friends Meeting, helped to originate the Greenville Friends Meeting, hosted the Friends Worship Group of Ocala, and led the Bible Study at the Gainesville Friends Meeting. His ministry included volunteering weekly at Munroe Regional Medical Center to visit and pray with heart patients.
He counted his blessings every day and marveled at God's Amazing Grace.
No work in his life pleased him more than raising his three sons. He will be missed by his wife Ellie; his sons Paul, Mark and Rob; his two granddaughters Marie and Rennie; his grandson Ryan; and great-grandson Lars.
William Blake, Jerusalem, Plate 5
"I rest not from my great task!
To open the Eternal Worlds, to open the immortal Eyes
Of Man inwards into the Worlds of Thought: into Eternity
Ever expanding in the Bosom of God. the Human Imagination
O Saviour pour upon me thy Spirit of meekness & love:"
November 2017
A JOURNEY
Rob wrote:
Very beautiful Mom. I love this image of Dad's body flowing through the places he loved into the Mississippi to the Gulf, and then blending with the oceans he sailed in his youth. Thank you.
Very beautiful Mom. I love this image of Dad's body flowing through the places he loved into the Mississippi to the Gulf, and then blending with the oceans he sailed in his youth. Thank you.
Eleanor Clayton wrote:
I arrived home yesterday (Oct 10) at about 6 PM. I drove from Signal Mountain in about 11 hours. The driving was not as tiring as I expected it to be. I was 3 days on the road and 4 days at Joel's. If she had put me to work in the house and the yard I would have stayed longer but she likes to do everything herself in her own way.
Hugh and Alison are going to build a new, larger home on Signal Mountain. Joel plans to build on the lot next to them. She hasn't told many friends about her plans yet but I suppose it is OK to tell family. They will be moving into a new development in which the homes are constructed by the developer. The date construction will begin has not been determined but the streets are built, the lots are cleared and the underground utilities are laid. I think construction will start on their houses in the first half of 2018.
Hugh and Alison are going to build a new, larger home on Signal Mountain. Joel plans to build on the lot next to them. She hasn't told many friends about her plans yet but I suppose it is OK to tell family. They will be moving into a new development in which the homes are constructed by the developer. The date construction will begin has not been determined but the streets are built, the lots are cleared and the underground utilities are laid. I think construction will start on their houses in the first half of 2018.
I enjoyed seeing Clemson and Brevard. Some ashes were spread at the cemetery of the Old Stone Church near the house we owned in Clemson. A relative of Larry's was the first pastor in 1797. I also sprinkled ashes in the gardens on the campus. The next morning I drove to Brevard and had a biscuit at the Burger King which Dad and I frequented. I them went into the Pisgah Forest of deliver ashes into the creeks whose waters eventually flow into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. 
Robert Lawrence Clayton, 90 years of age, 2016
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