I thought I would be well prepared for this moment, but when the news hit, there was nothing I could do to stop those tears.

Gary has been an extremely close and dear friend to me, the best and most caring manager anyone could ever ask for.

Through the ups and downs, he was always there for us, ready to listen, to smile, and to lend his helping hands.

With him around, even the most brutal seems bearable.

But suddenly, without a warning, he decided to depart, leaving us all behind.

Prayer after prayer, we were confident that miracles would happen, that he would fight the battle to the end, and come back in due time.

We were utterly disappointed, after all.

Now all the words are futile, nothing will ever bring him back. Yet I still cannot stop the tears from rolling out of my eyes.

Three short years of encounter, a heart touched for life.

A man of incredible optimism and dignity Gary was. He has been deeply loved and respected by everyone around him, and will always be.

Thank you Gary. We miss you already, sorely.


** Unpleasant things in life often hit us at the least expected moments.
Make the best use of your life~~while you still can. **

Image: The Big Ben, photo taken at Westminster, London.


【The Invitation】 by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.