As I think of Sheri, so many things come to mind. As I have listened to women speak of her these last few weeks, I have heard the phrases, she staffed my weekend, she held me for grief, she led my process, I experienced her workshops, she was my coach, and she was my guide. Those phrases remind me of the many ways in which she touched all of our lives.

The weekend of January 13th, the Midwest Board met in Indianapolis for one of our regularly scheduled meetings. During that first morning session, Lee Kurtz led us in a ritual to honor Sheri. As part of that ritual we placed a custom made bead on our Board necklace in honor of her lasting legacy to our Midwest circle. We also shared a gift she gave us and a legacy from her. I’d like to share my gift with you.

For me, I have a vivid memory of Sheri on my weekend. It is of her standing in the midst of a circle of women, showing us “my feet, my body”. As I remember her in that space, leading us in our stomping our feet to connect with the earth, it still brings a smile to my face. Personally, I am still dazed by how quickly we lost Sheri from of our daily lives. The piece that I am taking from that is how much and how often I need to acknowledge the relationships in my life. What I want to integrate as part of her legacy is the awareness of how much someone means to me and sharing that with them regularly. Thank you Sheri for all you have given us.

Mary Beth Minick
President, Woman to Woman Midwest

At our Midwest Board meeting January 13, Lee Kurtz led us in a ritual piece honoring Sheri. As part of that she shared a poem: The next place that I go Will be as peaceful and familiar As a sleepy summer Sunday And a sweet, untroubled mind And yet…it won’t be anything like any place I’ve ever been Or seen…or even dreamed of In the place I leave behind I won’t know where I’m going, and I won’t know where I’ve been As I tumble though the always And look back toward the when. I’ll glide beyond the rainbows, I’ll drift above the sky I’ll fly into the wonder, without ever wondering why I won’t remember getting there Somehow I’ll just arrive But I’ll know that I belong there And will feel much more alive Than I have ever felt before. I will be absolutely free of the things that I held onto That were holding onto me The next place that I go Will be so quiet and so still That the whispered song of sweet belonging Will rise up to fill The listening sky with joyful silence And with unheard harmonies Of music made by no one playing. Like a hush upon a breeze. There will be no room for darkness In that place of living light Where an ever-dawning morning Pushes back the dying night The very air will fill with brilliance As the brightly shining sun And the moon and half a million stars Are married into one. The next place that I go Won’t really be a place at all. There won’t be any seasons – Winter, summer spring, or fall Nor a Monday, Nor a Friday, Nor December, Nor July, And the seconds will be standing still… While hours hurry by. I will not be a boy or girl, A woman or a man I’ll simply be just, simply, me. No worse or better than. My skin will not be dark or light, I won’t be fat or tall. The body I once lived in Won’t be part of me at all. I will finally be perfect. I will be without a flaw. I will never make one more mistake Or break the smallest law. And the me that was impatient Or war angry or unkind Will simply be a memory The me I left behind. I will travel empty-handed There is not a single thing I have collected in my life That I would ever want to bring Except…the love of those who loved me, And the warmth of those who cared The happiness and memories And magic that we shared. Though I will know the joy of solitude I’ll never be alone I’ll be embraced by all the family and friends I’ve ever known. Although I might not see your faces, All our hearts will beat as one, And the circle of our spirits Will shine brighter than the sun. I will cherish all the friendship I was fortunate to find All the love and all the laughter In the place I leave behind. All these good things will go with me They will make my spirit glow And that light will shine forever In the next place that I go. (Unnamed Poem by unknown writer) Submitted by Lee Kurtz (WWTW May 1999, Lake Delavan, WI)