Zero Meridian, Five Degrees North

Rodney often spoke of writing a book about his life. He left many notes, interviews, speeches, articles and the title he intended to use: ç. He often talked about having lived five lifetimes. His journey began several years before the Great Depression of the 1930s and ended with his work in global villages. Never casual about his faith, his desire to be practically useful took many shapes during his eighty-five years. As his wife of fifty-nine years and now his widow, I decided to pull together this material and write his biography. Memory is a funny thing. As we examine the events in our lives, a new level of meaning flows forth. Memory connects us to what has gone before, to that which really matters. Only in looking back over our decades can we understand the hinge points that dramatically shaped our life. The surprises that shaped Rodney's life included: · A postcard invitation to join the youth choir. · A war in Korea that blocked job opportunities and sent him to the Santa Fe Railway in Chicago "temporarily." · The word Ecumenical on a neighborhood center that our church sponsored. · A group of women who decided their husbands should meet. · A Rotary sign nailed to a tree in Chikale village in India. Rodney's life didn't follow most norms. He lived with mystery, wonder, and obedience and overflowed with love for the people he met, worked with, and lived with. This story defines an amazing man who walked in affinity with everyone he encountered. As our marriage evolved through the years we: • realized our responsibility for this one planet • related to a vast array of colleagues and avenues for acting out our care • recognized profound depths in our marriage. What makes a time, an event or space sacred? It has to do with our decision to call it such as we recognize change or memories in the moment. We all have moments when a thought, an idea, a possibility presents itself. We can go one-way or another. We look back and say, "Wow, what if I had chosen a different path?"