Tim
 

To all members of the Sphere,

I just got back to my parish from Tim's home in Fargo. He is very weak, but in good spirits. He is trying to take as little pain medication as he can so that he can remain lucid. He had a good day yesterday with lots of visitors and so today he was very tired. I prayed with him and administered the Rite of Extreme Unction.

I must admit, that I am in tears. We remembered together that grace filled day when he walked into Sts. Anne & Joachim, which proved to be a life changing event for both of us. Tim said it was a 'moment of grace' a truth with which I could not agree more heartily.

I spent about an hour with him talking about the old days, hunting, farming, poetry, God and His Grace, but he needed to rest and was overly taxing himself to stay alert, so I blessed him and left so he could get some rest.

He wanted me to tell all of you how grateful he is for your encouragement and friendship these many years. Listening to the audio of this thread, which Catherine most graciously recorded, filled him with profound joy. He loves all of you and thanks you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers, and especially for accompanying him in his love of poetry and through his travails.

He gave me a glimpse of the humor that belongs uniquely to Tim Murphy, before I left he said to me; "I have had a glorious past three years of...smoking and prayer." It made me, and his brother Jim laugh, and Tim smiled. And then I teared up, as I am now.

I plan on going back to Fargo to see him on Friday, so if you would like to send a greeting and a prayer or poem to him, I would be happy to print them off and read them to him then. I will leave around 9:00am Friday for Tim's place, so have them posted before then.

May God Bless all of you,

Fr. Rob

PS: I asked him if he was ready for death, and he immediately said yes. He is in a good place in his soul. I'm just not sure that I am ready for his death. I wish I could have taken more advantage of the time I had knowing him, but distance and ministry kept it from being so. I will always owe Tim a debt of gratitude for his inspiration and forthright honesty when it came to my doggerel and on the rare occasion when I managed, mostly with his help the help of many of you, to write something worth writing.

Dear Alicia, Alex, Nemo, Jan, and Jayne,


Please know that Tim loves you and is grateful for your love of him. And when I told him of the latest posts to this thread he was delighted.

May God Bless You,

Fr. Rob
PS: I am also grateful for your help and support with my doggerel.

Go in peace, Tim. You've had a good and enormously productive life with Alan, and subsequently on your own, and to a far greater extent than almost any of us you lived by your rules. Life and poetry. That's a good way to live.

Dear Tim, sending love and prayers from Louisiana. You are one of the heroes of formalism (or "real poetry", as I call it) and I understand your output now exceeds that of Thomas Hardy and is still going strong. Lighting candles for you in thought--
Gail

Printed
 

I printed the last two pages of this thread to read to Tim too, so that he can receive the posts made after Catherine's audio.

Pax Vobiscum,

Fr. Rob

Dear Tim,

As you know, I sent you a message via Catherine the other day. You continue to be in my thoughts. I’m proud to have selected some of your poetry for Edge City Review way back when, and I remember our later correspondence with understanding and admiration. Wishing you peace,

Claudia

Dear Tim,

Nothing I say could match the beauty of your poems, but I’m sending love and peace and happiness. Glad to hear you enjoyed one last cigarette!

Your Eratosphere friend,
Charlotte

Rory Waterman has asked me to pass this message along to Tim by way of you, Father Rob:

Tim

You gave me confidence when I lacked it. I loved our conversations. You gave me a great friend for life in Nick Friedman, because you introduced us to one another. You opened your home to me. I owe you a lot, I have wonderful memories or our meeting and our conversations, and I love you. You’re a kind and brilliant man.

-Rory

Tim
 

I just wanted to share a moment with Tim yesterday.

After I had prayed and ministered to him in his need and read all of the message that you gave for him, with his relative and long time help in the fight against Alcoholism and hunting partner John Murphy present the whole time, he extended his hands out toward us (I was on his right, John was on his left) he said: Brothers...you...you brothers...you are my brothers. I said to him: Tim you are my brother. And he let his hands fall and nodded his head in affirmation.

It was a moment of grace and peace in an otherwise difficult time.

I am heading back to Tim tomorrow late afternoon, I have obligations here that do not allow me to go now, and I will give him your messages.

God Love all of you for your support,

Fr. Rob

Father Rob,


Thank you for sharing this moment with us, and for being our messenger of love to Tim, his family, and his closest friends.



Cathy

Here is a memorable one from Hunter's Log:

Father's Day

i.m. Vincent Murphy

Sunset, and mallards poured down on the pond.
You shot from a low saddle in the hills,
felling them like a wizard with his wand.
Hip-deep in loon shit, I retrieved your kills.

Ten years since absolution for your sins:
six children by your bed, aged eighty-three,
your last words to the family, "Vince wins."
Today our young priest speaks a homily

on God the Father and the Son he gave
to save this sorry world. We're told to pray
for every father resting in his grave,
for each child who is fatherless today.

Tim wins.

Tim,

I know it's late, but I loved where your voice was coming from. You did right by me in the few times I approached you. Fare well in the beyond, your legacy is safe on earth.

Thank you, too--Catherine, Jennifer, Robert.

Mark

Dear Members of Eratosphere,


One last message of thanks to all of you who sent their thoughts and well-wishes to Tim these past months.



Jennifer has posted the news of Tim's passing this morning on another thread.



The world of poetry has lost a stellar voice, and many of us, a true friend.



Cathy

Closed at the thread starter's request.--Alex