Thanks to all who have expressed sympathy — here in the blog and by email and through Facebook and Twitter — for my family’s loss in last week’s death of my 16-year-old nephew Patrick. Given the interest, I am sharing, with permission, an email and photograph from one of Patrick’s Scout leaders, Clint Buxton. He wrote about the ceremony Saturday night, hours after Patrick’s funeral, where members of the Order of the Arrow were honored for reaching the Brotherhood level:
I wanted to write you … to share with you and your family the story of the start of a healing process, which began for me late last evening deep in the hills of our beloved Green Mountains.
Within an hour of leaving all of you yesterday, Chuck and I were on the road again, each with a carload of Arrowmen headed for Camp Sunrise in Benson, Vermont. There was something cathartic about this ninety minute drive. Perhaps as its name suggests, Camp Sunrise has a renewing power to us “Easter people.”
We arrived with Patrick’s Brotherhood sash in hand. As we approached the Council Fire, the Brotherhood candidates had already assembled and the new sashes were hung in the forest, just behind the firelit circle. I desperately wanted to walk into the woods and put Patrick’s sash upon the pole, but then I stopped and counted. There were fifteen sashes displayed and only fourteen Brotherhood candidates physically surrounding the fire. You see, our Brothers had already made the decision to honor Patrick’s cheerful service by including him in one of our Order’s most sacred rituals.
As the pole was put back at the end of the ceremony, Patrick’s sash remained in place. I was moved with the profound symbolism that had just taken place. Steve, there were no stars visible last night, so I could not see Patrick laughing (Buttry note: a reference to my eulogy), but as I peered through the hemlock canopy of this beautiful old growth forest, I was confident that Patrick’s spirit was ever so present.
Midnight was approaching as we traveled north after the ceremony, the Arrowmen from our Troop slept deeply with the knowledge that they had played a large part today in honoring their friend.
For me, gathering with my Brothers was the start of a transition from mourning to celebrating this incredibly courageous young man’s life.
[…] less interesting to the community than a half-dozen or more stories they could have done about the community events that showed support for the Devlin family. The Devlins’ health struggles have been a community […]
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