[Oe List ...] Saying Good-bye to Stan

[Isobel and Jim Bishop]

Dear Elise and colleagues,
Thank you so much for this wonderful and enriching story of Stan' s  
life.
How much we value the legacy of our dear colleagues.
In peace,
Isobel Bishop.
On 23/11/2009, at 11:04 AM, George Packard wrote:

>
> It was when we were driving from Atlanta to South Carolina that  
> George and I
> received the call about Stan Crow's passing.  I am still living  
> into the
> news.  George and I had the privilege of working closely with Stan  
> in the
> Student House, and years later in developing the "This Moment In Time"
> retreat.  Stan was a colleague and a mentor to us, and we watched  
> him be an
> excellent father to his own children and a mentor to many others.
>
> In the Student House Stan was an excellent team player, and the  
> kind of guy
> that you want around when you are facing challenges.  Stan's endless
> creativity infused our team with a sense of possibility.  He could  
> design
> and sew costumes, build stage sets, work with 12 and 13 year olds  
> to map out
> strategies for paper delivery, figure out the essence of what  
> needed to be
> taught, and was willing to go beyond the call to figure out how to be
> effective in teaching.
>
> Stan decided to love every young person in our care.  And if 'love  
> is a
> verb", Stan demonstrated that to each in multiple ways: he  
> tirelessly went
> to school conferences, doctors' appointments, and drove the kids on  
> shopping
> trips.  He redesigned the dorms so that they would have more of a  
> feel of
> home. He worked with the students on a news letter; wrote play  
> scripts so
> that they might shine on the stage; and approached the tasks of paper
> delivery, space care and meal preparation with interest, humor and  
> zest.
>
> Stan got engulfed in his love for those kids, and was ecstatic  
> about moving
> the Student House to Washington state where nature could play a key  
> role in
> their experience and development.  Going into the unknown seemed to  
> be old
> hat for Stan----the more ambiguity, the more interest!  The more
> confrontation with wilderness, the more self discovery.  Formation  
> of the
> inner life for people of all ages became one of his passions.
>
> Stan was talented and humble, and he wasn't afraid of hard work and  
> chaos.
> Forging a new co-housing community while blending a new family  
> seemed to be
> exciting and life-sourcing.  Reflecting on the interior journey;  
> the role
> that nature plays in sparking inner awareness; the importance of  
> drawing
> upon the spirit practices of multiple faith traditions; the  
> vibrancy of
> poetry and song to express the human experience----all of this  
> seemed to be
> Stan's life blood.
>
> Stan loved the yurt (the Mongolian tent-like structure) on the  
> property of
> the co-housing community that he helped develop.  It was both a  
> structure
> for meetings and storing material for the Journeys programs, but it  
> also
> became a living record of the many lives that were influenced by  
> this work.
> Stan took delight in writing every name of the young people....then  
> the
> adults....who took part in the Rite of Passage events.  Our son and
> daughters' names as well as my name and George's appear on that  
> yurt. In
> participating we were helped to make critical transitions.  I  
> survived an
> Adult Wilderness Quest.  Stan had beckoned George and me to  
> participate in
> this experience that included 3 days of silence and absolute  
> solitude in the
> wilderness....a time to sort out past, present and future.  Stan  
> prepared
> the sweat lodge (including digging the rocks, building the fire, and
> preparing the structure) to initiate the experience and, and he  
> helped cook
> the meal that welcomed us home.  The fact that he had also figured  
> out the
> structure of the experience and mapped the terrain and helped train  
> the
> guides is also important to mention
>
> Stan was a Renaissance Man:  capable and humble.  My life is  
> enriched by
> having known him. In remembering Stan I will remember to laugh, to  
> sing, and
> to venture into the wilderness with faith and trust, to invest in  
> the lives
> of others......especially all our children.
>
> K. Elise Packard 
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