Sunday, February 22, 2026
In honoring my memory of Rickie, I remember the tenacity and fearlessness she had in overcoming lymphoma. Her resilience in battling the house fire, and making sure that she retrieved her fur coat. That experience enabled her, together with Jack, to embark on a new journey in Lockport, with a whole new set of challenges. Johndolyn Bridwell was a most dignified, elegant, woman of justice!! Rickie’s passing, mystically coincided with the tenth anniversary of my Mom’s passing and I am feeling the profoundly of that in my heart. The following passage from Daisaku Ikeda, elucidates that feeling. “ Life contains the capacity, like flames , that reach toward heaven, to transform suffering and pain into the energy needed for value creation, into light, that illuminates darkness. Like the wind traversing vast spaces unhindered, life has the power to uproot and overturn all obstacles and difficulties. Like clear flowing water, it can wash away all stains and difficulties. Like clear flowing water, it can wash away all stains and impurities. And finally, life, like the great earth that sustains vegetation, impartially protects all people with its compassionate, nurturing force”