Opie Outlaw

Peace... Be Still. . .

I have many, many thoughts - yet don't quite know what to say, so I'm praying that the spirit directs my commentary here...

The blogosphere lost a tenacious "cut and paste man" with a true artist's heart...

... and a whole lot of "sparkle" (or was that "Sass"?) for me, at last week's end, with the passing of Opie Outlaw, also known as Op, or you could call him Opie... aka: Locusx1y2... aka Ricky D.... etc... etc... etc... ;-)

I loved this man.

He was a self designated "Huckleberry" to me & I loved him even more for that.

I was wishing & hoping the reason I'd not heard from him over the weekend was that he'd been down to a favorite spot of his, with family and special friend(s) in tow... Harker's Island.

Sadly, I received an e-mail this past Monday evening, sent from his cousin Tony (Saturday the 26 th) - Rick had died the night before.

He was letting me know. He said he had remembered my internet name from an earlier visit with Rick. He wanted me to let all the people on the blogs know. I've caught up with some of you - some other's will see this - some, I feel, I'll just need to track down yet and send a more private message to...

It is pure trial for me, these past few days - my psyche stretched out and purely grieved over all that I'd yet hoped to share with this rare man in my life and... yet joyful, thankful even, that I'd dared to pour out every loving bit that I could - while I could - all over him. . . Thank you God, for your wise direction and... for always, and in all ways, being the well spring between Ricky and me.

You know by now that the portrait here is one I did of Rick. It was a part of my portfolio art showing and also part of a package of items I was gathering to send to him - I have indeed sent those gifts on - to his family... and I've purposely uploaded this picture at a large imaging size (8x11.5 300 dpi) ...it may make my blog slower to load - however any extenuating family member, or friend of Rick's, who'd like to download it for keeps - should be able to get a nice print off of it - Rick never wanted a current photograph of himself posted on the internet. His sister said posting a drawn portrait, now, would be ok.

Reminders of Rick ...and his love - are every where in the world to me right now... Ironically his obituary posted on my birthday ... May 29th... and, that declairs (in part) these things:

He passed away at his home on Saturday, May 26, 2007. Rick was a retired independent trucker who spent the last fourteen years devoted to his father and battling Crohn's Disease. During this time, his spiritual life bloomed and has followed him to journey's end. He was loved and will be missed. The funeral services were to be held today (May 31, 2007).

I opened up my Hymnal this morning. Looking for some solace. . . It opened to this Hymn:

Each Life that Touches Ours for Good

...and even though I don't recall ever placing it there...
There was the scrap of paper I'd jotted down -all the "important information" on. It was all the ways to "contact" Rick, everything he thought I'd ever really need to know and to have to reach him... he insisted I write it all down, the very first time he ever talked to me about going to Harker's Island. ....

Now, I know without a shadow of doubt, nor tunring, that his spirit is only a prayer away from mine... it always has been.

Yes. Indeed, he was loved and will be missed...

God Bless all who pass this way...
Love,
D.

~