Dear Friends,
Greetings of love and peace.
It is with great shock and sadness that we share the news of Global Council Trustee Pele Pele's passing.
We received an email from a friend of Pele's in Nigeria earlier today, and Charles spoke with Pele's wife, who confirmed that he passed away on 7 January 2011 from kidney failure. He will be buried this Friday, 21 Jan, with the service beginning at 9 AM in Abuja, Nigeria.
We remember Pele's bright spirit, his infectious smile and laughter, his deep thinking and his passionate commitment to work for peace, justice and healing in Nigeria and the world.
We invite anyone who would like to send Pele's family a message of condolence and remembrance to send it to Kay ([email protected]). We will put all the messages into a booklet and send them to Pele's family.
We also invite all of you to hold Pele and his family and friends in your prayers and meditations during this time of shocking loss and deep grief.
May their tears be sweetened with joyous memories and may they be surrounded by healing light.
Our Global Council and the entire URI community have lost a Great Blaze of Fire in Pele for working to end injustice. It is with great love that we dedicate to Pele this poem by Rumi, which Yoland selected.
Our death is our wedding with eternity.
What is the secret? "God is One."
The sunlight splits when entering the windows of the house.
This multiplicity exists in the cluster of grapes;
It is not in the juice made from the grapes.
For he who is living in the Light of God,
The death of the carnal soul is a blessing.
Regarding him, say neither bad nor good,
For he is gone beyond the good and the bad.
Fix your eyes on God and do not talk about what is invisible,
So that he may place another look in your eyes.
It is in the vision of the physical eyes
That no invisible or secret thing exists.
But when the eye is turned toward the Light of God
What thing could remain hidden under such a Light?
Although all lights emanate from the Divine Light
Don't call all these lights "the Light of God";
It is the eternal light which is the Light of God,
The ephemeral light is an attribute of the body and the flesh.
...Oh God who gives the grace of vision!
The bird of vision is flying towards You with the wings of desire.
Love,
Yoland and Charles