UC Irvine awards Gregory Coleman a full Master's degree

Today is a great day! Today I received for my father his Master's degree in music from the University of California at Irvine. I have to blog & run, but I'll be back to post more details tonight. Look for an article in the OC Register Local section tomorrow 4/12/06.

More info on this great day to come soon....

A letter from Gregory

My dear friends:
I hope this farewell note will ease some of the pain of our parting. As I write these words, my heart is filled with love, and as you hear these words, may you feel that love in your heart as well.

My life, like yours, has had its streaks of good and bad luck. My greatest luck has been the blessing of two wonderful sons, a caring mother, father, and brother, and a cherished circle of true friends.

Now all of you are here to celebrate the good fortune that brought us together. Our friendship and love has run its visible and tangible course. I have crossed over, made a change, run my earthly course to its end. Put it as you like, we now make our terrestrial farewell.

I am terribly sorry to have left you. I wanted to stay so badly. But all is peaceful now; there is no pain, and may that be solace for us all.

Once again, I would like to share a few things that I have learned through my illness. Perhaps you know these things already. I have been a slow learner however, and it has taken a harsh teacher to reveal these truths to me.

On the goodness of human beings: Most people, by far, want what is good for their fellow man, and will sacrifice greatly to do good. Trust in that. In the goodness of the human heart is reflected the love of God.

Know that happiness comes by finding and following your passion. Make sure that if your time comes, you are on the path of your own choosing, and surround yourself with people who encourage you to follow your dream.

Remember, it is always better to make a mistake being kind.

Never stop learning.

Wear sunscreen every day.

Always put your fingertips close to the frets.

Never forget how precious life is. I knew that my life would come to an end someday, but it seemed distant, impersonal. But death is very personal and surprisingly close at any time.

So, make the pleasures of your life close and personal as well. Look at the sunset and draw it in your mind, feel the colors, taste the changing light. Then seek out another sunset, or flower, or mountain, or seashore, or cloud, or breath of wind on your face.

I will be there to help you be 100% alive. We'll always meet in the mountains, in the forest in the late afternoon when it is full of liquid gold sunshine. The scent of oak, pine, and juniper permeates the air as the woods draw their whispering breath. I will be there.

Now, thank you to so many of my dear friends, and especially to you, my son James, that helped at the end. You saved me more than once and tried to save me once and for all. You held me, fed me, clothed me, gave me time from your life; you loved me, and I felt it every day and in the night.

Gregory

A Special Gathering

I know Gregory would love to have all of you strap backpacks on and slog miles across the Sierra--something really hard--to get to his celebration, but James and I found a really lovely spot not far from his house: Oak Grove at O'Neill Park. Mark your calendars for:

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 AT 10:00 AM
O'NEILL REGIONAL PARK
30892 TRABUCO CANYON RD.
TRABUCO CANYON

http://www.ocparks.com/oneillpark/

Head east all the way out on El Toro Rd. At Cook's Corner, turn right on Live Oak Canyon Rd. and continue on for about 3 miles. You'll see the park entrance to the right. The spot we have reserved is just to the right of the park gate/office.

We encourage all of you to carpool if possible. The park charges $5 per car, and although there's parking near where we'll be, we don't know what our numbers will be.

James and I sat in Oak Grove for a long time this morning just to be sure it has the right kind of magic that Gregory would have loved. It did. You'll know, too, when you see it.

The dress code for Saturday is casual. The ground is leafy and a little uneven in spots, so wear comfortable shoes. There are a few picnic benches off aways, so if you need to sit, please bring a chair. We'll have extras. Don't worry about standing around in the sun, the oak trees form a gorgeous leafy canopy overhead. Our park reservation is good for the entire day; feel free to stay on in the park, pack a lunch, and hike a trail.

Some people are asking if they can bring something. We're bringing Starbucks coffee, juice, water (no booze in the park), so if anyone would like to bring pastries or fruit since it's the morning that would be fantastic.

Gregory's wishes were to bring all his friends together in a beautiful corner of nature and enjoy the moment. As he always said on his voice mail recording after he mentioned where he'd be performing for the week; "Come on out! I'll see you there."

Please RSVP James at jameskun@mac.com with RSVP in the subject line, so we can get an idea about our numbers. Thanks!

Love, Pam

Dad's fight is over

Dad's long fight with cancer has come to an end. He passed away last night in peace. The room was filled with the kind of wonderful quiet he always loved. Dad was surrounded by loved ones who whispered beautiful things to him when all he had could do was listen. I held him and told him what a brave man, beautiful person and wonderful father he has been.

Dad asked me to carry out his final wishes. One of them is that there will be a grand wake. We will all mourn his passing. But Dad wanted us to celebrate all the beauty there is in life.

I will share the arrangements and details with you on this web log as soon as I can. Feel free to leave a comment for all, but you can also email me at jameskun@mac.com.

Dedication

A few thoughts for all of us as Greg M. and I get ready to go over to the Coleman Keep for a morning of breakfast and visiting with James and Gregory.

One dear friend said recently that what really fascinated her about Greg when her son started taking lessons from him years ago, was that he had dedicated his life to music. He didn't just play part time (like most of us), but filled every hour with art (I'm sure his mountain climbing was artful) and helped us all to feel the passion he felt at a piece of music suffused with genius, or at the beauty of a simple E chord on the guitar. She said she had never met a person so dedicated to art.

And now we learn firsthand about the people who dedicate themselves to caring for the ill. Not the chemical geniuses or the docs with the rocket ship lasers, but the experienced people who know just how to help a sick person into a wheelchair, or into a bed. Those whose job it is to stay up all night and watch when loved ones can no longer do it all. They could have other jobs, easier jobs with easier hours, but they choose caretaking and nursing. Understated love and calm strength to help us all.

The teams line up

Even on a three-day weekend. Efrain, Jennifer, Samirah, Pam, Mark W., Clyde, Kindness. Each person I know brings a special
feeling. Jennifer has kept the faith for almost three years now since diagnosis, and never failed. Samirah I haven't seen in 14 years, and reconnected at last. I want to write about every one, I don't know that I will have the time. I certainly won't have the time to teach my 85 year old mother about blogs, but if she ever does, she is my hero of the lifetime. much less hero of the week. Goodnight all.

Gregory

Searching

Dear Friends:
My latest adventure was driving up to LA through holiday traffic to redo the CT scans they screwed up on yesterday. But it went really really well. Capt and Com. James Coleman , Rosemary Shadwick as helmswoman and pilot , Shiloh as man Purser and Supercargo, we made it there and back.

I am looking for some nursing help, day or night help. I have to ask for recommendations. The yellow pages say that I am just outside the area for help, So I am turning to you reccomendations. Help!!!.

Also, many are quite concerned about my spiritual welfare No doubt, my prayers are bonded with yours as they ascend up to God at night. Give my personal relationship the opportunity of growing with God. He loves you and me both in ways we cannot understand.

Much love to you all

Gregory Coleman