There has been a profound sense of loss to me – as well as to David, Laurie, Carrie, Marla, other members of the family and friends. We appreciate your support, cards and donations on Lynda’s behalf. We hope the good memories of Lynda will help us to move forward with our lives. Let me recall a few of them here:
Lynda and I liked to travel, and we took numerous motor trips together. From time to time I reflect on them and savor them. She was a good planner. In the car, one of our favorite activities was to listening to audio tapes. The topics we listened to varied from novels (such her favorite Jane Austen books) to the Independence War around 1776, to early Founding Fathers, philosophy and religion. We enjoyed listening to the Great Lectures series on these topics and more. I have lingering memories of the follow-up discussions we would have after listening to these tapes.
Lynda was an outdoor person prior to our marriage, as well as in the early part of our marriage when she was physically fit. At that time she had considerable hiking experience. She told me one of the most unforgettable experiences in her life was a hike to the “Delicate Arch” in Utah. She did not want to tell me the details. One summer, we planned our motor trip to visit that area. I was looking forward to the hike. On that day, I started early in the morning before sunrise, and she stayed in the motel. When I had almost reached my destination, I became aware of the fact that the hike was very challenging – particularly because I am afraid of heights. The pathway became very narrow…and alas, on one side of the path there was a steep one-mile drop. On the other side, there was a nearly vertical rock wall. My body was automatically leaning tightly against the vertical wall. I was perspiring. Taking small steps, I cautiously followed the curve of the path which was a 90 degree curve. I finally worked my way out of the narrow path and reached the Arch.
Afterward I wondered whether there was an alternative route to reach the Arch. Lynda told me that it was the very same path she had walked through herself. We see that we worked through the same life-experience at the same location, although it was at a different time. We enjoyed traveling together, comparing our thoughts and reflecting on our experiences.
Most of our trips outside of the U.S. were to England and France. Our trip to China was another outstanding event in our travels. Our experiences were numerous - let me mention a few. When we were on the Great Wall, Lynda was very flattered because a Chinese family politely asked her if they could take a picture of her with their child. We visited the hometown of Confucius in the Shandong Province, cruised the Three-Gorge area of Yangtze River, and visited the campus of former St. John’s University in Shanghai where I grew up. I was able to show Lynda a small bridge that I used to cross back and forth to attend elementary school.
Lynda was very curious and inquisitive on our trips, which made our trips pleasant and memorable.
Lynda was a spiritual person. She was very interested in the writings Rabbi Abraham Heschel, who she greatly respected. She told me on several occasions that Heschel would definitely be designated as a saint, if there were such title in Judiasm. In his book God in Search of Man, Heschel discusses the notion of Depth Theology. He explains that different religions have different superstructures. Deep down in one’s mind, there is a common yearning to connect one’s mind to God. This is the spiritual component of the mind. You may recall that Heschel and Martin Luther King (who was a Baptist minister) marched side by side at Selma Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. Because of the Depth Theology, Heschel found that at the spiritual level they could communicate with each other.
Lynda had a Jewish background (based on the Old Testament). I have a Christian background (based on the New Testament). Because of Depth Theology, we prayed to a common God. Lynda believed a family that prays together sticks together. In our daily prayers, our focus was on our family, our friends and the safety of Israel.
Lynda was a lifelong learner. She absorbed new information like a sponge during our travels, and we attended Elderhostel programs to combine learning with travel. At home she had ready-to-read books in most of the rooms so that they could be conveniently picked up and read. At the time of our marriage she had never touched a computer. Since then she learned basic computer skills to help her to organize the TAP curriculum on the computer. At the time she actively attended U.T. functions to look for potential speakers for TAP. She was not only a life learner, she also devoted a lot of energy, such as the TAP program to help others to learn.
We hope that the memories of Lynda’s life cited here, and much more, will continue be with us.
