However, my right hip, according to my doctor, has suffered excessive wear
and tear, and therefore needs new plastic liners replaced.

I wonder if this condition can be the result of a faulty hip replacement.

thanks so much for writing. How cool that chanting has brought you so much! I haven’t been very diligent about it lately, and I really need to get back to you.

Reading your reply was the inspiration I needed!

Thank you!

It’s gotten me to the White House to do a presentation for my charity, Artists Against Racism, to the UN to accept an award for the charity, and has made my life so much better and smoother in so many ways.

But what we must remember, is that both Buddhism and chanting are not meant to manifest “things” in our life. They are meant to centre us, so that we will be grounded, know our True Selves, and live from our True Selves.

So, when I chant, I don’t chant for “things” and neither should anyone else. I chant until I feel that I am one with the “vibe”, one with the “reverberation” of the sound of the mantra, and that puts me on a different energy level where everything works out for my highest good–I feel like myself, I attract the highest good for my soul (in terms of relationships and everything else), and I make the right decisions–from my soul rather than my mind. Everything just flows. I am protected, as was Tina from Ike.

When I was invited to the White House, I didn’t chant for it; when my charity won the Global Tolerance Award and received it at the UN and I got to make a speech that I’d been dreaming of all my life, I didn’t chant for that either. The Universe knows what we want and if it coincides with the highest good of the planet, it happens when we’re in our highest vibration.

The meaning of life is to spiritually transcend, not to attain. Remember this, and you will be on your way…to true tranformation in this precious life you have. A transformation that is more valuable than anything you could ever wish to attain.

thank you so much for sharing all those details about Roger and yourself, and about what happened. I’m glad that he didn’t suffer but reading the story brought tears to my eyes, repeatedly, and I was grappling with how to respond – anything I wrote felt inadequate.

I’m so very grateful for your generosity in sharing what happened in so much detail and providing answers to the questions many of us had.

Over the last day or so, since my last post, I’ve started re-listening to the “Turbulent Times” tapes (and now is a really good time for them since times are a bit turbulent for me as well as a lot of others), and I’m struck at how much Roger has become part of my life.

I know those tapes practically by heart. Roger feels like a close friend and mentor talking to me as I listen to the tapes. I can hardly believe I have never actually met him.

One of my favorite quotes in that program (something which he says is the key to stress management) is:

“Do what you say you value”

That is so true! But not always easy…

He also talked about his “forest” in Louisiana, and it was wonderful to read your description of it – what an amazing place – I love botanical gardens, old trees, and lights, and I wish I had been able to see it.

Reading on and discovering how a good part of it was destroyed by Katrina was heartbreaking, though not nearly as much as Roger’s passing.

But as you wrote, Roger lives on, in his work, and in other ways, and getting his message out to the world in a new format would help many people.

I’ll write to you privately about a few ideas I have about some possibilities to make that happen.

In gratitude,

Elisabeth

I met Roger through mutual friends on a trip to New Orleans to visit my sons who were in college at tulane and Loyola. My first husband Doug and i met and married in New Orleans in 1977. We had 4 children and moved to colorado in 1990 where I was from to be near my family. Sadly Doug died from cancer in 1996 but I and the kids remained in Colorado. the 2 oldest chose to return to New Orleans for college. My husband Doug and I’s best friends in New Orleans had met Roger through one of the coaches for the New Orleans Saints. They set us up on a blind date while I was visiting in April of 2001 and by August we were married. It was just one of those things that you knew was meant to be. I am a registered nursue and was working in mind/body/spirit groups for people with cancer at the time we met so our professions really blended.
I moved back to New Orleans and we lived north of the city in covington on a three acre botanical garden site thaat he had been developing for the last 10 years. John Laiche who wrote above did all of the electrical work because Roger had lights running throughout the entire property to create a wonderland at night. His garden was his pride and joy and he worked endlessly on improving it. When I met him he was doing keynote speaking and giving stress manangement workshps as well as coaching for CEO’s. His main client was NASA and he was so passionate about the human space flight program. He did some coaching of the Space Shuttle commanders and chief astronauts as well as different heads of programs throughtout all of the space centers. He became one of their go to men when needing conflict resolution and after the columbia crash he was extremely involved with the return to flight program even getting to be in the launch room for the 1st flight return. NASA by far was his first love when it came to companies he worked with and he learned so much from everyone he worked with and they became like a family to him.
Together we had 6 children 3 boys and 3 girls. Two were his and 4 were mine. His kids still lived in Denver with their mom but we visited frequently. The families blended fairly easily and we shared some incredible times together. I quit nursing and became his business mananger. He absolutey loved his work and told me he also for the first time absolutely loved his life. I was amazed to be the wife of this incredible man and so proud of who he had become. Life was really good. Then came the hurricane…Katrina… We lived north of the city so that we were not flooded but hundreds of trees on the property were laying around like pick-up sticks. Huge trees that crushed everything except out house. It was pretty miraculous that our house was spared. Still the aftermath was extremely difficult in trying to restore what was lost. My oldest daughter was getting married in November that year and we had to cancel the wedding because there were no hotels open etc. We rescheduled the wedding for Feb. We were working hard to get the property back in shape for the wedding. He had a 2 day seminar to give @ Kennedy Space Center that week on Tuesday and Wednesday and after working all day in the yard he flew to Kennedy that night. We talked on the phone around 11pm and went to bed. About 9:30 the next morning the phone rang and it was Russell who was head of the shuttle program at the time. Roger hadn’t shown up for the meeting that morning and wasn’t answering his cell phone. They called the hotel where he always stayed to see if he ahd checked in and then asked them to go to the room to check on him. They found him in bed just like he was sleeping. They think he died sometime around 3 AM. I still can’t tell the story without crying because the shock was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I had already lost one husband and thought somehow I was immune to this happening again. The next week was a blurr to me and friends and family carried me through a time when I could not do it myself. There was such an outpouring of love and kindness and we had several “parties” celebrating his life filled with laughter and tears. Because my daughter was getting married the next week we had all of this family who came in for the funeral on Sunday and stayed for the wedding on the following Saturday. It was truly a sacred time that none of us would have ordinarily shared toghether. It was such a lesson in life and it’s brevity and it’s need to go on no matter what happens. I don’t think I will ever get over it you just get through it. Losing someone like that is not something that ever feels over but I have to look at the gift of the time I shared and the profound influence he had on my life. I know I am a deeper richer more compassionate woman for having spent 4 years of my life with this man. I also believe that I will see him again and that he watches over all that he loved.

I am so gratified to know that his teachings still are guiding people to a better life. sincerely, Catherine

You can contact Bharat Soka Gakkai in Delhi. It is the Indian arm for Soka Gakkai International (SGI) – A lay Buddhist movement, present in 192 countries with 12 million members.. All the best.. have a good life. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.