Rev Dr, Hal Edwards graduated from this life on July 22, 2023. He submits his own obituary:
I was born in 1934 in the aftershock of the Great Depression, in Ayden, NC. The first of four sons.
I experienced what you may call a mystical event. When in high school I had a vision of huge waves of powerful Love crashing into me from the sky. I heard a Voice speaking into my heart, “You are to love others the rest of your life with the Love you experience now.”
For years I seriously scrutinized the rational authenticity of such a mysterious experience; however, I somehow knew if I were to deny this experience or chalk it up as a mere delusion, I would deny being true to myself, and over time I chose to own and honor the vision, which became a lifelong intention. Many imperfect detours along the way became valuable wake-up calls to return again and again to that gentle and strong Inner Voice, to stay open to this deep Love anchored within my heart, no matter what.
I graduated from a conservative college and from liberal graduate schools. God’s Love was the crucial focus for me in these very different theological institutions, drawing on truths that resonated for me. I was blessed to marry a woman with an open heart and inquisitive mind; my marriage with Betsy ended during our 50th year with her unexpected death in 2006. We had four children: Elizabeth, Rachel, Sam, Joanna, and ten grandchildren: Mirabai, Sarasvati, Andrea, Samuel, Alice, Betsy, Emily, Yeager, Raina, Jessie, and great grandson Truman.
I was fortunate enough to marry Jill Downey, my soul companion, to learn and grow with for the remainder of my journey. Our light and love -- greater together than apart.
Ordained as a United Methodist minister, I served parishes in four states before coming to Chicago in 1968 where I was President of Christian Laity of Chicago, an ecumenical ministry connecting leaders and lay people throughout Chicagoland for 28 years. The following decade, I led CityQuest, an interfaith movement involving people of faith from many of the world’s religions. My career continued as a psychotherapist and spiritual mentor throughout my retirement.
I owe these authors, mentors and companions a lifetime of gratitude: Dr. Elizabeth Garriott Edwards, Dr. E. Stanley Jones, Dr. Sam Shoemaker, Dr. C G Jung, Isobel Briggs Myers, Helen Luke, Dr. Morton Kelsey, Arun Gandhi, Fr. Thomas Keating and Jill Downey. The five most influential books during my lifetime: Judeo-Christian Scriptures; God Dreams & Revelation (Kelsey); Gifts Differing (Myers); Gandhi: Portrayal of a Friend (Jones); Open Mind Open Heart (Keating); Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On (Luke); Dreams Memories and Reflections (Jung).
Although my teenage vision (of being summoned into the Love of Divine Presence) never failed me, I suffered many vital lessons when I did not love wisely. Love, even in my failing to love, consistently taught me life-giving lessons that ultimately transformed my attitudes, relationships and actions, ever engaging me in intense self-examination, always evolving, learning and growing.
Fr. Keating showed me how to experience “dying before I die” by practicing Centering Prayer, an ancient Christian way of silent prayer. “Letting go” daily through meditation into the quiet emptiness of God’s Presence and Action, I learned how to embrace and welcome death and life into my final breath.
I published the lessons grief taught me in GRIEF’S JOURNEY: A Companion for Friends Who Mourn twelve years after my wife Betsy’s death, sharing how grief and love guided me through my octogenarian years. I wrote the book for grieving people who seek meaning and purpose as they explore their way through the refining fires of great loss and disorientation.
Thanks to many wise mentors, various life encounters, and my dreams, I have come to realize that we all live in both a visible (physical) and an invisible (spiritual) reality, and we are all endowed with the imprint of the Divine; and there is a unity, a Oneness, a sense of purpose and meaning at the core of all creation. I know that deeper than all our hurts and losses, three things remain totally attainable, which everyone can access freely: faith, hope and love. I believe everything in all creation supports this reality. And, finally, I have learned that every circumstance that comes my way can awaken, teach, and transform me if I choose to surrender my being into Divine Being, the Source of all creation.
Celebration and Reflection Ritual
Saturday, August 19, 2023
2:30-3:30 Visitation with Family
3:30 Celebration of Life Reflection Ritual
Reception Immediately following in activity center of the church
Kingswood United Methodist Church
401 West Dundee Road
Buffalo Grove IL, 60089
Celebrating the Life of Rev. Hal Edwards
Content from Kingswood United Methodist Church
kingswoodunitedmethodist.subspla.sh
(Please totally disregard every word here; all that matters is that you, my beloved extended family, are aware of my love for you all and my joy of being free of wanting anything except the freedom to trust that which is unknown and held in the hands of Divine Presence. 10/31/2020 HLE)
Memorial Gifts- In honor of Hal, please go online and donate to:
Contemplative Outreach Retreat Center (Designate scholarships for urban minorities)
coc@centeringprayersnowmass.com
Christ House, Jubilee Housing & Jobs (Church of the Savior, Washington DC)
www.christhouse.org; www.jubileehousing.org; www.jubileejobs.org