It was already daylight, Monday morning, where he was. With a satellite telephone and a computer, for which their owner had no further use, he tried one last time to reach where his heart yearned. Only four of his team remained, the adversary was approaching, and he wanted to say goodbye. Call it serendipity, synchronicity, blind chance or the hand of the Creator - he found me instead, waiting to keep my standing Sunday night appointment with the person to whom my heart yearns...We spoke for almost an hour. In the way of these things, we touched on all manner of topics; many serious, some lighthearted. Tears were shed, laughter exchanged, love expressed, messages promised to be passed along. His thoughts also turned to PathFinder, and who might carry on his work. Always he spoke of others, never of himself.
More about that warrior's vigil I shall not say, save this: R Wolfe, veteran of Vietnam and beyond (USMC, SOG) was killed in action in the service of his country, in a location and on a mission which most likely will forever remain undisclosed. This, in his own words (extracted from the transcript of our conversation) is why:
For all of humanity [...], for the Creator and for all of you, I am not going to stop it all now, but I am going to slow it down
Our farewells and 'good huntings' said, his uplink was lost in midsentence. At the end, his spirit walked with the great warriors of his people and all people, and there is no doubt that he sent many enemies before him.
* * *
For my part...
There is only one Other in all existence whose influence on my life means more than that of our friend and brother, the far-seeing weaver of words. I may never be able to express the honor I feel in being counted among his friends, and my debt to him is only partially repaid by having 'been there' at his final need. What part I may play in the continuance of his unfinished work remains to reveal itself - those who need to, know that I stand ready. [As a touchstone of my dedication, I am retiring the nom de plume by which I am recognized here - in the course of my virtual walks with Wolfe, for reasons that remain 'in the family', he came to call me Fox, and Fox I shall be hereafter.]
What we all can do to continue his unfinished work is simply this: Listen to your heart, and have the courage to live how you feel is right.
* * *
Oseh shalom b'imromav, hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu...
"May the Source of Peace grant peace to us all..." (from Kaddish, the mourner's prayer of the tribe of Israel)
Fox