The
Peaceful Prodder by Letty Watt
Fred was a peaceful prodder,
Thank you, Danny Rosen, for this observation.
We may miss Fred terribly, but he
will only be
A thought away.
A café or diner shows an empty
seat
Where Fred will no longer order the special
of the day with friends.
We may feel Fred’s presence in
the gentle purr of a cat.
Kee Kee…Pouncer…Pepe’
Or in a deep and penetrating
conversation about Faith.
A bar seat is silent in this
world,
Where Fred will no longer be listening to the
story of someone’s life.
We might hear Fred’s voice ring out at the first Homerun
Of the season for the Yankees,
Or listen to his thoughtful
observations of skills on the court,
On the golf course, or the baseball field.
A stadium seat sits vacant, waiting for a dedicated fan to arrive.
We might imagine Fred playing a
round of golf
With Mickey Mantle at Augusta National,
Or sharing the knowledge of
Harvey Penick’s lessons on golf
With friends and perfect strangers.
A tee time at Harpeth Hills
golf course stands open waiting for,
A single man to join them and peacefully plot
his way down the fairway.
We might pretend while drinking
that first cup of coffee with Fred
That the clock of time will ring in a short period,
When hours later we find
ourselves in a
Provocative conversation about religion and faith.
A chocolate bar sits waiting
in New York City,
Waiting to be delivered to a friend of Fred’s.
The world may well be a better
place thanks to Fred’s love
shared with kindergarten children in Kansas and Texas,
Or from Fred’s passion to
share God’s word through Young Life
From continent to continent.
As we all will be One Day.
Someone once said, “Fred Ripley was an acquired taste whether it was plotting every shot on the golf course or pondering his next thought, he stayed present in the moment for a very long time.”
Fred Ripley, Dhaulagiri Mountain Range in Nepal in background.
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