Each man’s joy is joy to me
Each man’s grief is my own

— Joan Baez, “No Man Is an Island”

Then said a rich man, Speak to us of Giving.
And he answered:
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

— Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

 

 

From a ceremony held at an LRY (Liberal Religious Youth) meeting in 1964, sixty years ago.

At the ceremony in my honor — I had served for a year as Chairman of the New England Regional Committee (NERC) — I was given two books with these dedications on the flyleaves.

The handwriting is that of either Ruth Wahtera or Sandi Mosher. They collaborated on choosing the books and passages to quote. The quotes are from the lyrics to the song “No Man Is an Island” and Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.

Kind words. I feel — modesty aside — that they were true. They saw something in me; empathy, concern for others.

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   July 2024