Singing together somewhere in time
Tom & Gwen
Tom Hunter
For information about Tom Hunter, his ideas, and his music, visit www.tomhunter.com.
Tom Hunter left all of us a legacy of celebration, music, compassion and giving to our communities. Throughout his lifetime, Tom worked with people of all ages and backgrounds to teach new ways of learning and living. We all are committed to "keeping it going" by remembering his smile and his music and his voice.
There was a tremendous outpouring of support for the Hunters during this transition, and the family is deeply grateful.
Tom Hunter left all of us a legacy of celebration, music, compassion and giving to our communities. Throughout his lifetime, Tom worked with people of all ages and backgrounds to teach new ways of learning and living. We all are committed to "keeping it going" by remembering his smile and his music and his voice.
There was a tremendous outpouring of support for the Hunters during this transition, and the family is deeply grateful.
TOM'S HEALTH
Tom Hunter was diagnosed on May 20, 2008 with Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease and died on June 20, 2008.
On September 2, 2008, a letter from the National Prion Disease Pathology Research Center confirmed that Tom had what's called 'sporadic CJD' (sCJD). His was an extremely rare type of sCJD that one in 4.5 million people are diagnosed with annually. We're very grateful that he did not have the inherited form, but it's critically important that a cure for all forms of CJD (caused by scrapy proteins in the brain which can take up to 40 years to manifest and kill their victims) are found. All forms of CJD are fatal.
The most accurate and up-to-date site for learning about CJD and supporting efforts to find a cure is http://www.cjdfoundation.org/ .
On September 2, 2008, a letter from the National Prion Disease Pathology Research Center confirmed that Tom had what's called 'sporadic CJD' (sCJD). His was an extremely rare type of sCJD that one in 4.5 million people are diagnosed with annually. We're very grateful that he did not have the inherited form, but it's critically important that a cure for all forms of CJD (caused by scrapy proteins in the brain which can take up to 40 years to manifest and kill their victims) are found. All forms of CJD are fatal.
The most accurate and up-to-date site for learning about CJD and supporting efforts to find a cure is http://www.cjdfoundation.org/ .
Tom and Gwen
2007
Tom and Aeden
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May 8,2008
Tom and Irene
May 24th, 2008
To live on this earth
you must be able
to do three things:
To love what is mortal;
To hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
And when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.
mary oliver
DONATIONS
Please help provide financial support by sending whatever you can. We are hoping for lots of $25. hugs- or whatever works for you - to help the Hunters with medical and transition expenses. They also want to protect the wetlands, forest and farm* that have seen so much of their love over the years and to help keep Tom's work alive in the world. (*Contributions given specifically for the mortgage have been moved with overwhelming gratitude to the new Tom Hunter Memorial Account described above.) If you wish to make a donation please make checks payable to Tom Hunter Family Donation (or to Tom Hunter Memorial Account) and mail to:
Whatcom Educational Credit Union
PO Box 9750
Bellingham, WA 98227
If you'd prefer to donate safely and securely using your credit/debit card, use this button:
Whatcom Educational Credit Union
PO Box 9750
Bellingham, WA 98227
If you'd prefer to donate safely and securely using your credit/debit card, use this button:
Now the focus narrows to just the steps ahead. You have a chorus of knowing, loving voices all over this planet to sing you home.
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PHOTOS - NOW ON A NEW PAGE
Many of the photos from this page and also new ones have been moved to their own page and can be viewed by clicking on the link below. If you have photos to share please send them to us at tomhunterblog@gmail.com Thanks.
Pictures of Tom, Family and Friends
Singing with friends
Salem Oregon 1990
Laughing at a story
June 7th from Marie
"All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today" Indian Proverb
with love from Gege Manolis
with love from Gege Manolis
Tom and Irene
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June 2008
COMMENTS and HOW TO HELP
To leave a comment for Tom and his family please scroll to the bottom of this page, and then come back up to today's date on the left side. Click on "comments" and leave your message in the box on the right side of the comments page. Your comment will not show up immediately as all comments go through the postmaster. They will be posted as soon as possible. If your comment is not posted within 24 hours please contact the postmaster at tomhunterblog@gmail.com
There are many ways to help. Please click on www.tomhuntersupport.blogspot.com under Music, Meals, Flowers, Yard Work, Farm Work below or look for the How to Help section opposite the daily comments on the right side of the blog towards the bottom.
There are many ways to help. Please click on www.tomhuntersupport.blogspot.com under Music, Meals, Flowers, Yard Work, Farm Work below or look for the How to Help section opposite the daily comments on the right side of the blog towards the bottom.
Music, meals, flowers, yard work & farm work
The Hunter Family
Jeanne Herrick has put many photos from the blog into a beautiful slide show. Click below to watch
Words from Tom's Dad
May 26
Somebody noticed what you did today
Somebody noticed little things along the way
How you watched how you listened to what children do and say;
Somebody noticed what you've done alway
'Tis grace has brought us safe thus far,
And grace will lead us home.
May 29
And the Angels took care of him.
May 31st
The Lord bless and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you, your family, the city of Bellingham, and the world, peace-- both now and forevermore. Amen
Somebody noticed what you did today
Somebody noticed little things along the way
How you watched how you listened to what children do and say;
Somebody noticed what you've done alway
'Tis grace has brought us safe thus far,
And grace will lead us home.
May 29
And the Angels took care of him.
May 31st
The Lord bless and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you, your family, the city of Bellingham, and the world, peace-- both now and forevermore. Amen
Tom with the love quilt
From First Congregational Church of Bellingham
Aeden, Tom & Willard Hunter
Three Generations
Tom and Cindy
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Prayer rocks from Lummi Island
"Sometimes healing is more than getting better. Sometimes it's love revealed....." - Tom Hunter
Aeden and Tom, April '08
May 20, 2008
Here I sit, feeling my feet on the floor
An image of grounding you’ve used lots before
Trying to make sense of this surreal, difficult time
While loving where I came from with infinite pride
It’s been amazing how many lines from your songs
Have been lights in the darkness when it all feels wrong
Have comforted, questioned, been profound and fun
Your capacity for humanity is second to none
This world is a better place because of who you are
And that’s known widely – near and far
In music, education, and matters of the heart
You’ve bettered lives right from the start
I’m so proud of you, of where I’ve come from
You’re a huge part of me and have taught me a ton
About being human, love, laughter, and tears
And how to keep going despite life’s fears
Please don’t worry about the rest of us
We’ll take care of each other and will always feel your touch
Your laughter, music, compassion, and voice
Will always be with us in the midst of life’s noise
So here I sit, feeling my feet on the floor
With love and gratitude deep down in my core
I’m so grateful for the time we have had
You’ll always be my mentor, my best friend, my dad.
-Aeden
Irene and Tom last summer
The very best dad in the world
i’ve always loved your laugh lines,
the way you smile ear to ear
and you always have this easy way
of crushing any fears.
we’ve shared so much so far in life
and i’m so proud and glad
that i can say with confidence
i have the very best dad.
from raspberries to hasty moves
and the cutting edge again?!
to times when you have comforted me
over troubles with my friends.
you know how to relieve the weird feelings
when things don’t feel quite right
you let me put them in your hands
and throw them into the night.
we’ve shared trees against the sky
and books, poems, songs and walks
you taught me respect by looking again
and i’ve always loved our talks.
from dream stories to lake padden eagles
and coloring outside the lines
i can say with ease and confidence
you have the most lovely mind.
i remember all those wakeful nights
and running down the hall
you and mom sang lullabies
and sound asleep i’d fall.
i’m your goofball now—
i’ll always be whether we’re near or far
i’ll hold you close in who i am
no matter where we are.
i know it’s getting harder
to take in this fantastic world
just know i love you—i always will—
as daddy’s little girl.
Irene
May 22, 2008 After baptizing little Maddie
Exchanging blessings
To My Old Brown Earth by Pete Seeger
To my old brown Earth
And to my old blue sky
I'll now give these last few molecules of I
And you who sing
And you who stand near by
I do charge you not to cry
Guard well our human chain
Watch well you keep it strong
As long as sun will shine
And this our home
Keep pure and sweet and green
For now I'm yours
And you are also mine
with thanks to Cori Dusmann
May 22, 2008 At the Shepherd's
"I want my music to be grounded in the realities of what kids and teachers know. I want it to 'ring true; as it helps people laugh, cry, remember, celebrate, and learn."
— Tom Hunter
Tom in his backyard Labor Day 03
"I've been visiting schools to sing songs for almost 30 years. I've been in a lot of classrooms, presented a lot of workshops, talked with a lot of teachers, and sat on a lot of floors with kids. If I bring reminders of what's important in education, they come from finding those moments when the heart shows up, moments that peek around the corner and need to be invited farther into the room so we can see them. Such moments might seem ordinary but they are way too important to be captured in test scores. They fill teachers (and sometimes children) to overflowing."
Quoted from Tom's introduction to his book of essays : "Visits to the Heart of Education: Remembering What's Important" (available from Song Growing Company - see link below)
Quoted from Tom's introduction to his book of essays : "Visits to the Heart of Education: Remembering What's Important" (available from Song Growing Company - see link below)
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"But what if we can't get there?
What if it's too far?
What if we can't find our way from right here where we are?
What if it doesn't matter
that we can't find our star?
What if God comes anyway
right here where we are?"
-Tom Hunter
What if it's too far?
What if we can't find our way from right here where we are?
What if it doesn't matter
that we can't find our star?
What if God comes anyway
right here where we are?"
-Tom Hunter
Northwest Teachers Camp
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from Cori Dusmann
Photos
If you have photos of Tom that we can use on the blog, please email them to us at tomhunterblog@gmail.com
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Rumi, the Sufi Poet
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Rumi, the Sufi Poet
Clarification -- How to Comment
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If you have questions about the blog or if this does not work for you -- send your message to the postmaster at: tomhunterblog@gmail.com and it will be posted for you.
If you have questions about the blog or if this does not work for you -- send your message to the postmaster at: tomhunterblog@gmail.com and it will be posted for you.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
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10 comments:
To Tom's immediate and world-wide extended family,
We joined you all in Bellingham and the hundreds around the world this past hour to celebrate, give thanks and grieve as Tom has moved beyond us to another part of the eternal now.
We spent the hour listening to two of Tom's tapes - yes, and singing along through our tears. The last song on the second side of "Connections" began with Tom's voice, joined then by family, and then we sang as so many will continue to do thanks to Tom: "We are a hundred... a thousand voices singing! WE ARE NOT ALONE." Then there was Tom's voice on the final verse, "I am one voice and I'll KEEP singing.... I am not alone." Yes! Today and in all the tomorrows Tom will keep singing for and with all of us who have been and will continue to be deeply touched by his presence in our lives.
We feel more than ever before part of the huge family to whom Tom will continue to minister.
Thank you Gwen, Irene, Aeden, the wider Hunter family, and all of you out there whom we feel to be part of our lives.
And thanks be to God for sending us Tom Hunter!
John and Gretchen Brooke
Dear Hunters
Tom is the kind of person who makes me believe there must be a God, and then his fate makes me think there can't a God. There in lies the conundrum.
My father died in a similar manner from cancer. Thank you for sharing your loss. You are not alone.
Love, Virginia
I was unable to sign the guest book at Tom's service in Bellingham ... if there is a way, please add MaryAnn and Michael Kohl. Thank you so much.
It was good to sit with others who mourn Tom's passing, and to mourn and celebrate together. What a beautiful group of people were in attendance. Old, young, fancy and not so fancy, bearded and bald, hungry and full, smiling, crying, freckled and pale, everyone there to love Tom and put their arms around the Hunter family.
Please call on each of us for whatever you need. Anytime!
MaryAnn Kohl
Dear Gwen, Irene, and Aedne,
It was a beautiful good bye. It was good to laugh and cry and reflect and remeber and hug and grieve and love. It was a shock to realize how many people I care about I met because of you Hunters. I'm very glad there is continued singing planned--I need that--you are such wise people.
Aeden-let me know when the tape orders start to slow down, I thought I ordered enough but realize there are so many more who I want to be sure have his music. Love, Linda b
For several days since I heard of Tom's passing I (and my guitar) have been singing to myself the dozen or so Tom Hunter songs that I have learned. Even though I met Tom only a couple of times, he has been a part of my life for over thirty years.
The first time I heard a Tom Hunter song was in the early 70's when our (Corvallis UCC) Associate Pastor John Randlett shared one of Tom's songs, "Turning it Around". I enjoyed it and learned to sing it myself. Several years later I got to see Tom in person at a retreat for our church youth group at Camp Adams (in the Mt. Hood foothills) in the winter of 1980, when he and Gwen shared stories, philosophy, and songs with the group. I am fortunate to have a copy of a recording that one of the young people made of the session. One of the songs they sang was one that I have not seen published, although I may have missed it. On the chance that it may be new to some of you, I share the words here. He didn't tell us a name for it, but I have called it simply "Changes". The theme is basically that the changes in our lives often surprise us. It draws some inspiration from Native American poetry and the words have a mystical quality that seems appropriate at this sad time. Here it is:
I can hear our song unwinding in a thousand different ways,
Unwinding like the precious stones of turquoise and of jade.
On city streets and country roads to find what singing knows;
A thousand new directions, as all one river flows.
Chorus:
And you feel the changes coming as the water meets the land,
And they are not at all like the changes you had planned.
Some say it makes no sense to try, you're crazy, you're naive,
But then you hear them hum the tune when it's time to leave.
Some things seem to stay the same while others have to change,
And if you stay right here with me, it wont feel so strange
You say it all keeps gettin' stuck whenever you forget
That the stones are so much prettier when you keep them wet.
And stars need darkness to appear as dances need the song.
Sometimes you need time to learn what you've known all along.
So who can tell the dancer from the dance or the singer from the song,
If I knew the way for sure, I'd bring you along.
'Cause you'll never get there goin' straight, there're lot more turns than that,
And if you never go away, you never can come back.
Tom Hunter ~1980
Since then, with the help of the early records, I have learned and have been singing many of the his songs. I especially like "I Can Whistle" and "Hello Elizabeth". To Gwen, Aeden, and Irene, my deepest condolences. I will continue to keep the spirit of Tom's songs alive in this corner of Oregon.
Ed Miller, Corvallis, OR.
Dear Gwen, Aeden, and Irene-
I continue to keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.
I stopped at 4:00pm central time brought you all to mind as you honored Tom and his life. I wish I could have been there to hear the stories and memories.
Today, I listened to Tom's sermon he gave on the first Sunday of lent this year. It is on the church website- His words so true and so precious today.
If there is any recordings of his memorial service, is it possible to post them here?
I yearn to hear more, and want continue to learn from his life and Keep it going!
God Bless you,
Heidi in MN
I was hoping someone would post a photo of that beautiful painting of Tom that was unveiled at the funeral?
Thanks!
Karen Wolf
I'm a Bellingham mom and teacher. As is true for so many, Tom didn't know me, but I sure knew him, loving his music and his message. I have been reading this blog since learning of his illness, inspired and touched daily by the words and wisdom. As a proponent of living as fully as possible, and a teacher of environmental education in the world's biggest classroom (nature!), I have been working to Keep It Going.
I spent the day of Tom's memorial in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, on a weekend backpack trip with seven 10 year olds. After a day exploring and learning about the myriad connections we have with this beautiful planet, ourselves, and each other, we gathered lakeside as dusk descended, snow-dusted mountains looming large, bats flitting overhead. We lit a candle and sang songs together, including, in Tom's memory, Beautiful Nighttime and Red River Valley. I would have liked to attend the memorial service, to be part of the collective goodbye to Tom and hello to his joyous legacy, but I think our little evening memorial service was just right too.
But really, it was the day of laughing, hiking, dunking our heads in streams, swimming in glacial melt, floating with glee on logs in the lake, exploring hidden trails, climbing rocks, sharing stories, identifying plants, listening to nature, playing imaginatively, spontaneously singing - this was the tribute to Tom. And that tribute will continue, as often as possible, in my work. Thank you Hunter family, for sharing. It reaches far and wide.
Aimee Frazier
One more thought... When I am with the kids in forest ecosytems, we often find ourselves noticing dying things everywhere nourishing new life: enormous trees are rooted in stumps; snags flourish with bug life, birds feeding, holes that become homes; nurse logs nurture delicious huckleberries, ferns, mosses, abundant green life; and it all depends on the forest floor, thick humus made from what came before, making such beauty happen. Tom's life and death is and will be that nurse log, that snag, giving rise to so many good things...
Aimee Frazier
dear gwenn,irene and aeden,
i am getting ready to come up to camp. i read your most beautiful words about tom's service. i so appreciate your taking the time to share this with those of us who could not be there.
last saturday my husband and i were volunteering at a local folk music festival for a place called artichoke music.it is a community kind of place and this was a fundraiser to keep it going.
tom would have loved it! a fitting thing to be doing at the time of his service... a way to help grow a community of people who sing together and support each other.
we will keep it going...it has already happened and is happening.
love to you all - i don't know what else to say ....except i better turn the gravy off before i leave!
joisey aka anne-louise
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