Really beautiful tribute, Stacey.
He was lucky to have you and Wes in his life on such a regular basis.
I would love for you to know my Oompa.... (from one of his closest friends)
by Robert7 67 Replies latest jw friends
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jwfacts
Thank you, you have really helped put things in perspective.
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RayPublisher
I cannot stop crying over this lately. I know that I shouldn't be so emotional about it but that is just who I am.
I did not know this lovely man and devoted friend except through his posts, but I do look forward to seeking him out someday when I'm *up there* or we're both *back here* or whatever is gonna happen in the next life. I believe he is in God's memory because God doesn't let a beautiful soul like that just go to waste! He is the God of the living!
Thank you Wes and Stacey for giving people like me a peek into this special man's life and personality. I am so upset by the harsh shunning policies of the WT, it is literally making me want to do something very un-Christian. I will not give in to those feelings, but so many of us have felt his passing in a personal way and wish that we could have done more.
Perhaps that will be the biggest thing we can do to honor Eric- each of us trying to do more to help stop this man-made stigma, and to live our lives with dignity and love, not hate and judgementalism.
My video tribute to Eric Reeder:
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AGuest
Thank you, dear Wes and Stacey... and peace to you! Everything you say about dear Eric is evident in his posts: the good and the not so good. There are many of us here who have "known" others for years, but never actually laid eyes on them or had them to our homes (or we to theirs). Yet, we would be just as devastated to hear of their demise, particularly in this way, as if we had... because we got to know them through their posts, those who were candid enough to post about their lives as Eric did.
Peace to you!
A slave of Christ,
SA
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mamochan13
Wes, Stacey. Thank you so much for this. I think when many of us comment that we wish Eric would have known about all the friends who cared - It is clear that he had many friends, and I'm guessing he probably understood that on some level. However, the Watchtower tore a big hole out of his heart - a chunk that included the friends and family he most needed and wanted. Nothing could replace that.
The complete and utter aloneness he felt had nothing to do with all of the wonderful people here who treasured and loved him. As much as we might have tried, we couldn't replace the family he lost.
Sometimes people with terminal illness go beyond a stage where they can, or want, to remain living. The pain goes beyond what they believe they can tolerate. I can imagine that both of you spent many heartbreaking hours trying to keep Eric alive in spite of himself. When you tear out the foundation for someone who is already struggling with mental illness, there is nothing left for them to hang onto.
I didn't know Eric well, but I'm feeling the loss profoundly because a month before I lost a lovely young friend under similar circumstances, and the deaths of my mom and my brother earlier this year were both tainted with JW insanity.
I'm thinking of you both, and of all those who were close to Eric, along with his family. There is no greater pain.
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lisaBObeesa
Wes and Stacey,
Thank you for sharing. Thank you very much.
I am so very sorry for your loss.
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soft+gentle
stacey and wes thank you very much for sharing those wonderful times you had with oompa. I am so sorry for your loss
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mostlydead
Stacy, thank you for that candid look at Oompa. I have a very dear friend also that is mentally ill, and I KNOW the time and love and patience it takes to have such a friendship. I'm sure you gave him everything in your power to give and it's comforting to me to know that he did indeed have friends in the flesh who cared so much about him. I'm so sorry for your loss.
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panhandlegirl
I am sorry you lost your friend and I am sorry for all the pain Eric endured. Sometimes the pain is too deep to overcome. I mourn that you no longer have oomph and he doesn't have you.
PHG.
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jamiebowers
Thanks Wes and Stacey. I didn't know Oompa nearly as well as you did, but it wasn't difficult to understand that he was as fragile as he was friendly and as lonely as he was loving. He just couldn't recover from the loss of his family. I'm so sorry for your grief.