Dear friends and family, I am so sorry to say that we went to Rochester today to say goodbye to our sweet Gary. We know he was in the best hands possible and the staff did everything they could. The night before dad’s heart attack, I wanted to do a little practice we had started. I had the idea a few months ago to do readings every few days/weekly. We’d pick a few pages or a chapter/poem from one of our favorite spiritual/religious books, read it & then discuss it together. It was a beautiful way to connect at the end the day. I decided to read the chapter on The Three Jewels from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book The Heart of Buddha’s Teachings. I’ve included the info in attached photos, but basically it says to take refuge in The Buddha (God), the dharma (scripture), and the sangha (community). When you tend to one, you are tending to them all. He kept falling asleep but I woke him up and summarized it for him. He thought it related beautifully to his Catholic faith; and I do too. Your outpouring of love, prayers and donations have carried us and will continue to carry us through this incredibly difficult time. By caring for us, you are practicing the written word of love and care that Jesus and Buddha taught. You are caring for your brother who adored this community and you are telling your God, whoever that may be, that you love and understand the ultimate message. Afterwards I told him he should get up and look at the snow out on the porch, as the blue light shined on it and it was so glittery it looked like the fake snow you roll out for a nativity scene. It was so beautiful it just didn’t look real. He said he was too tired and I said, “Oh, please come look at it.” He got up and came over and we stared at it in awe of nature’s beauty. He gave me one last big Gary Hartl bear hug and we said “I love you” before he went off to rest. He loved to go upstairs and pray with mom before bed; oftentimes watching a video about the saint of the day. He will forever be our saint, our beacon and captain of peace, love & joy. I adored hearing about how smitten he was with mom; even before he really knew her. What we wouldn’t give to see that smile or feel that warm embrace again. I became lucid in my dream last night, asked to see him & walked out of the murky underwater room I was trapped in to find him outside in the sunshine. He stepped out of a van parked in the grass, hugged me with one of those incredible hugs and with a big Gary Hartl smile said, “Everything’s all right.” Nothing can dim the indelible light he has left in our hearts. Thank you and blessings to all of you. Your outpouring of love and support has meant the world to us.