Welcome to TEAM LESLIE – a blog created in October 2011 by some of Leslie Bowman Marcus’ many friends. In the months leading up to her death on May 29, 2012, this was a place Leslie often visited whenever she wished to be reminded of the vast community of people who loved her, and it remains as a place where family & friends can come to read or post reminiscences of the dear friend who was such a vital presence in our lives.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The meaning of life's youthful whirlwind often doesn't seem to make sense until long afterwards... Thanks for your fantastic, strong, never receding enthusiasm for the PHS 1969 40th reunion, and for welcoming me into my peculiar electronic niche there! :-)
ReplyDeleteDearest Leslie,
ReplyDeleteI honor you, and thank you for being my friend for 48 years.
You are a woman of many, many gifts: philosopher, enthusiast, stand up comedienne, tireless worker, theologian, leader, social advocate, encourager, back seat driver, jokester, political activist, and visionary.
You are always interested in others and always listening so carefully for their meaning. You have been a role model to me in your commitment to social justice – you have worked to bring justice in housing, in the GLBTQ community, and in the local and state political arena. I have often quoted you on the words shared with you by Gene Robinson at the Episcopal Diocesan dinner in Northern California. Inspirational.
I honored you today at our Sacred Worth meeting at seminary. I told the group that you have been the person who has supported me most in my journey toward ministry. You have never wavered in your encouragement of me and in your faith in my living into the fullness of who I have been put on the face of this earth to be.
YOU, Leslie, have lived up to the fullness of who YOU have been brought here to be. You have never wavered in your own call to ministry — you have spoken the Good News as you see it, often with humor, in all kinds of settings — right up until our Sunday worship last month (after a sermon on complaining), when in the middle of the announcements, you asked the newly appointed Sexton what number to call to complain? The whole congregation roared! And you know the rest of the story.
So now you face another series of hurdles: pain, uncertainty, medication regulation, a twisted route of medical appointments. Look, you said you aren’t being courageous. We are all scared. Who isn’t? You cut yourself a lot of slack now, O.K.? Because we love you.
Yours forever, (and I do mean forever. You are stuck with me.)
Mandy
Dearest Leslie,
ReplyDeletePeople have done a wonderful job of summing up who you are. So, what is left to say? First off, I love you dearly. You have enriched my life. You are wise and know an awful lot about many things. Les, the thing I really love is that you always make me smile. Your sense of humor and quick wit are infectious. So now as you go into battle against this disease, know that we are all part of your army. We are prepared to serve YOU! Please know that your friends care deeply and are here for you to do whatever is needed. Love you Toots. Hugs, Judy
From Carol Hass Perkins (via Ann Glass)
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie,
I am thinking of you today. I just enjoy talking with you. You are a fun person. Your situation takes some doing and patience. Keep on fighting.
Love to you,
Carol
From Chris Schweitzer Ruppe--
ReplyDeleteMy dearest Leslie, I am posting my first ever "comment to a blog" in your honor. Compared to other people writing to you, I am practically computer illiterate... so to be able to respond and to write to you on such a wonderful and loving blog makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over. Thank you Team Leslie for making this a beautiful way to keep in touch with Leslie while she is going through so much mentally and physically. Leslie, I have one very poignant memory of you that I want to share with you that does not go back to high school, but, in fact, is much more recent than that. It was after our 26th reunion and we were sitting in Ann Glass's parent's back yard. You pulled out this little machine that determines your blood sugar levels. I believe that it pricks your finger and reads your blood sugar levels and either allows you to eat something totally off your regular menu or determines that an injection or whatever is now due. In any event, you were estatic that you had this latest device to make your life so much easier. And I remember looking at you with awe and wondering where and how have you been able to replenish and regenerate so much that is good about living...so much joie de vivre. You have had to deal with diabetes all of your life. And you have done it with such courage and humor, as though diabetes was just a small blip in an other wise normal existence. Now you have another equally serious medical situation to face. And again, your non-stop courage and humor shine through. No amount of morphine (or mimosas, for that matter), diminish the strength that you seem to always exude. So, this is the scoop, Leslie.... if you do find yourself ever lacking in that regard, please know that we are all there to boost you back up.... please also know that we are sending you psychic mimosas to help you celebrate the life that you cherish with such joy in spite of everthing. I love you. Chris Ruppe
October 10, 2011 11:29 AM
From Cliff Nancarrow
ReplyDeleteDear Leslie,
As the years have gone by, I have become less certain of many things. But of these, I have no doubt:
1. The effort expended by those who have worked to establish and promote this Blog to convey the prayers and best wishes of family and friends rivals the persistence, vision and imagination of the Capernum Four and is motivated by the same faith, hope and love for you, knowing that you would have done no less.
2. You have touched each of our lives for the better at many times and on many levels and we have not forgotten. Never have, never will.
3. While each morning carries with it the prospect of a personal Saint Crispin’s Day, you have inspired and rallied us to stand with you. And we will.
We are praying, Leslie, for you, for Bill, for your family, and for the friends and community who are your joy. May God grant you tangible blessings of comfort, confidence, and courage. Know that we won’t be far.
Take care,
Cliff N
Oh my dear friends, your kind words are of such comfort to me I can't even articulate how much I appreciate them! Bill and I, my parents, and my siblings can all feel your prayers and good wishes. My days are still pretty "do-able," with the occasional bump on the road (the day after a chemo treatment usually has a bump or two), but I'm feeling generally pretty good now, for which I am very grateful. Napping more, limiting the amount of time I spend with friends since my energy level is very, very low, but also so grateful to those of you who have been so flexible with your schedules and so patient with me when I cancel a visit with you. If I could just predict how I'm going to feel from day to day, things would be easier for all of us, I think.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for caring so very much. I love you.
Leslie
From Anne Cobbledick Gritzer...
ReplyDeleteDear Leslie,
From the very moment that I met you in fifth grade, your indomitable spirit glowed like a beacon. You always had the courage to be yourself and look at life squarely in the eye. Never a wallflower, you have always spoken your mind with love and a desire to bring people together. There are few moments from my childhood that are captured in my mind with real clarity, but one of them is of you the morning after a slumber party. Even though I had known you for a while, I was not aware that you were a diabetic. The memory of you setting that spring-loaded hypodermic on your thigh and then releasing the trip is something that I have never forgotten. You were so matter of fact. As someone who still shrinks at the sight of any needle, I remain astonished that you as a very young girl were able to unflinchingly give yourself this injection. You have always faced life’s challenges in this manner, and continue to display remarkable spirit and humor – mimosas in hand, diagnosis be damned. Once again, I am captured by your courage and grace.
With love,
Anne C.
On October 12, Michele Dolliver said...
ReplyDeleteIt is not possible to say in a few short words what Leslie Bowman Marcus means to me. Leslie is a force of Nature. She is the only person I know that can turn a short story about an exchange with a stranger into a novel and leave you begging for more. You would think the stories would grow old or eventually repeat but they don't. Leslie remembers the past but lives in the present and there is always new material to share. If you are in need, Leslie is not only available to help but she knows exactly what to do. Despite her own challenges in life, she never forgets to ask you about your own. She has been a mighty presence in the life of every person who had the privlidge to know her and when she is gone, our memories of Leslie will never fade.
October 12, 2011 4:34 PM
On October 12, Ann Glass wrote on Leslie's life of gifts to us...
ReplyDeleteLeslie has spent her whole life looking Destiny in the face and saying "Oh yeah, Ya think so?!!!" With her humor and her refusal to be daunted by anything, she has been an inspiration to me since back in those early Campfire Girl days when her diabetes made her foreswear the weekly cookies & Kool Aid. I remember distinctly my 4th-grade awakening that a kid could pass up those tasty treats (or so we thought at the time -- what innocent days!), that a 9-year-old could have that kind of self-discipline. I remember that I didn't know then what was more unthinkable, having to inject herself with long needles every single day of her life -- or giving up sugary treats! But she did both, without bitterness, without complaint.
And that was just the kid Leslie. The adult has gone on in the same vein, always fighting, always funning, never giving up.
In my long lifetime of losing too many friends and family, I find that there is one consolation in hearing the news that a loved one has now only a short time to live -- and that is the opportunity for some last days or weeks or months to let that person know how much we've loved them, how much they've enriched our lives. We don't get that chance, when someone is taken suddenly, to say "You made such a difference in my life." That statement is true for me, as I'm sure it is with many others in our class, when thinking of Leslie.
--Ann McKeown Glass October 12, 2011
Dear Leslie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your very generous email. I have been struggling since receiving the initial news to know how to respond – denial, shock, sympathy for you and your family and a whole series of other thoughts and emotions – yet I didn’t want to respond in a way which might inadvertently trigger an unintended consequence on your end.
With your response, I no longer have that concern. First, I’m amazed at how well you are handling the news. Your grace and insight are truly inspiring.
Second, I didn’t want to let another day go by without telling you how much you have meant to me during the course of my life. I’ll never forget one of my first kisses was from you when we played the spin-the-bottle game at one of Bob Stetson’s 7th/8th grade parties. I’ll also never forget your kindness in 12th (?) grade when one of the bullies of our PHS class had kicked me in the groin after Charlie Cochrane and I had thrashed him in a game of football in the park across from the stores. Your kind and generous words, “He’s just an ass and I’ll remember you more for not lowering yourself to his level in your response,” still resonate with me. And, who could forget those great days which led up to our 40th reunion? Once again, you were the backbone of the effort and we wouldn’t have had half the event without your leadership and insights – it was a wonderfully collaborative effort and the results were sensational. My hope is that you’ll be around to help plan and participate in our 50th and that the rest of us can continue to benefit from your strength and generous heart for as long as possible. You are truly a remarkable person.
If there is anything Anne and/or I can do to help you, Bill or your family (especially now that we’re back in Piedmont), please let us know. We also look forward to seeing you soon, so please let us know about your plans to be in the Bay Area.
Love and blessings,
Reid
Reid Dabney, September 11, 2011
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteWe think of you every day. I love telling people the story of how your Bat Mitzvah gift to me came about. Holding on to your friends beautiful piece of jewelry, not really knowing why, until you got my invitation. Then you knew why you had kept this particular piece. I cherish it and you. Prayers to you and your family from ours. love Karen, Phil, Millie and Gabe
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteI'm very happy that I got to visit with you last summer. I appreciate your friendship and the work we did together to further fair housing. Your passion for fairness and justice is inspiring ... and you are pretty damn funny too. We still have the foster twins with us and they are thriving. I'm channeling your loving spirit in caring for them.
Much love,
John
Dear Leslie,
ReplyDeleteSending love and prayers your way today from the UK. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
With fond well wishes,
Kamie
Kamie, thanks for the lovely wishes -- now I have them coming from you, London, Dublin, and the Languedoc region in France ... I'm becoming an international item ... like cheap French perfume ... love to you there on the other side of the pond!
ReplyDeleteLeslie