From brummie:
Just got a call from Lisa,
Lisa suggested that if anyone would like to express love to atty it would be appreciated to send a contribution toward atty's last expenses.
Lisa will be at atty's apartment for another 3 weeks, more or less, to clean things up. She plans to have a memorial in the Rose Garden in .
Any contributions should be sent to atty's same address with Lisa's name on it.
Lisa Garza
edited address out, Address available from silentlambs.
I have now been given permission to release this poem. Most of you will know who the Oregon Blackbird is Pat Garza. You will know how she has suffered and the very possible cause of her present illness. It is hard not to feel bitterness for the Abners of this world. Bitterness only hurts an already damaged soul. Pat Garza passed away Friday after a long bout with cancer. She is finally at peace and in time the message she gave will find justice. God bless you all as we pray for the "Blackbird of Oregon" and her family in this time of sorrow.
The Blackbird's Song
A blackbird sings in Oregon, her locks are black as jet
Her raven hair embellishes a lofty parapet.
She sings her own soliloquy, rehearsed through bitter years,
But if you recognize the song she'll soothe you with her tears.
Her voice is heard in Oregon, and still more widely yet.
Come sing the song you timid ones, so no one will forget.
To those that dwell in lofty towers and him who is "God's gift"
Although the court's been sitting long, the judgment will be swift.
Let's bow before the mercy seat and then beseech the throne:
For anxious prayers from humble hearts are sweeter in the tone.
The poet has chosen to leave "the blackbird's" name unmentioned. He feels that she must be given full dignity, for she has had precious little shown to her during her life. At the right time her loved ones may choose to tell her full story. But this is written as a tribute and also as a comfort for those who recognize "The Blackbird's Song" in their own lives and have been through their own comparable traumas. May the fires of your suffering ignite the sweet smelling incense of your prayers as they converge before the judgment seat of God.
The phrase, "God's gift" is the meaning of "Theodore" and has been sarcastically applied to Abner. However, if your name is "Theodore" then be proud of it and be a blessing to your fellow men and women as the name implies. But whatever your name, if you have the arrogance of Saul's general and treat women as he did, then you, more than anyone should learn from the Biblical account and "The Blackbird's Song" (2 Samuel 3: 6-11)
In turn, those who have been treated like Rizpah, can learn from her. In her case, not necessarily yours, she further suffered when two of her sons were killed. However, she saw God's justice under the law that applied at that time, and because of her humility she was able to recognize when God's blessing was restored. David recognized her wisdom and spirituality. Rizpah regained and asserted her self-respect and dignity and gained an honored place in God's Word. God must have also recognized the part she played in His purposes, because it is said that after the whole affair when God's justice had been satisfied, then He answered the peoples' prayers (2 Samuel 21: 1-14)