Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Things I remember about Mr. Rowe…
He had an infectious smile. When he embraced an issue or subject matter such as aerobic exercise, taking evening classes at the local collage, or working on his Volkswagen(or so I am told by members of his family), he did so with such great passion and enthusiasm. How nice it must be to step away from the world of apathy and advance into a world filled with great curiosity, fascination and attraction for ones own personal interests.
Looking back at conversations with Mr. Rowe I can remember that he was never afraid to share a laugh, gesture, or a story at his own expense. In reflection, Mr. Rowe embodied all that we know can be decent within each of us.
During the last few years, Mr. Rowe was faced with a condition that for many of us would have destroyed our will or spirit to live. Not so with Mr. Rowe. His sense of humor and wit allowed him to move beyond any mere physical challenge to his body. In the end, it could not destroy his unconquerable soul.
Although words can never truly convey ones thoughts or feeling at a time of such a loss, I think these words by the poet William Ernest Henley convey or capture the strength and will Mr. Rowe embodied within his “unconquerable soul.”
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Rest in peace Mr. Rowe
