{"id":5058,"date":"2011-05-07T15:29:52","date_gmt":"2011-05-07T19:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/?p=5058"},"modified":"2011-05-10T09:09:25","modified_gmt":"2011-05-10T13:09:25","slug":"words-for-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/2011\/05\/words-for-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"Words for Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"

I miss my friend Lee. Although I continue to grieve, the worst of it has passed and I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to write for him. I hope that someday his daughter might find this post, and find some comfort here.<\/p>\n

This is a difficult post to write for a number of reasons, but the trickiest part is to walk a careful line where I can be authentic and honest without compromising privacy. Lee confided in me; I know so much about his history, his issues and challenges, his hopes and dreams. It would be very therapeutic for me to finally bring out into the open some events and issues that made (and make) me very angry. I would, too, I really would – except that during the last long conversation that we had, the major topic was forgiveness. <\/p>\n

He was in his 40s, and his inability to let go of the hurt in his past had been so damaging to himself and others for so long. We talked a lot about his daughter. She was the bright star in his life \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he loved her so much \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and we talked a lot about how his healing was tied to his ability to care for her, and to be the kind of father he wanted to be for her. One thing that really seemed to help was for him to imagine that the things he experienced were happening to her. Once the situation was transferred to someone he loved, he could finally see that someone who would behave hurtfully toward a child has deep problems of their own. He could even start to empathize \u00e2\u20ac\u201c enough to stop blaming himself for everything that happened. <\/p>\n

There was a lot of hurt and anger in Lee, but I am comforted by the thought that I really do think he was able to start authentically forgiving. More than that, I think he was even able to feel compassion, and to see the cycle, and even to disrupt it. He was capable of insight and of meta-thought and of imagination, but he was so hurt \u00e2\u20ac\u201c so deeply and emotionally bone-tired and hurt – that it was only later in life that he even could bear to talk about it. A true friend is sometimes almost as good as a therapist. The safe place to talk \u00e2\u20ac\u201c was with me. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m honored that he trusted me that much.<\/p>\n

But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m starting at the end of the story. Once again, from the beginning this time\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Burnam Lee McCoubrey III (everyone called him Lee) and I were part of a Kingdom Hall community of Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses. When I first tried to write this post, it veered off into remembering things that affected both of us just because of that, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll try to keep to issues that are important only to our friendship this time. It was just as we were hitting adolescence that I remember him appearing as a figure in my life. At that time, my father was no longer an elder, and my parents had divorced and remarried. His father was an elder, one of the few that I trusted because he had a sense of humor and a loving heart. His mother \u00e2\u20ac\u201c well, she always seemed to dislike me, for whatever reason, but she was a pillar of the community and not to be trifled with.<\/p>\n

\"Lee
Lee McCoubrey<\/figcaption><\/figure> Lee himself was withdrawn, quiet. He was very pale in complexion, and when he was miserable it was transparently obvious. Still, there was something about Lee. If there was only a single ray of sunshine, he would seek it out. He had a core of innocence that never went away. Often he reminded me of Opie<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c not so much the later Ron Howard \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but really Opie Taylor. I wished that he could have had that Mayberry<\/a> world.<\/p>\n

Once, his father was seriously injured. The men and older boys were playing some sort of game, perhaps touch football, and he fell and hit his head on a rock. It appeared that he probably had a concussion. Everyone panicked, and they were loosening his belt (I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know why they do that), and trying to get him to respond. He was taken to the hospital.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, no-one seemed to remember Lee. He looked terrified. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d gone ghost-white, and was sitting by himself, dazed. I went and sat down next to him. He often talked about that day, and how much it helped that I just sat there with him, not saying much, just being near. Somehow it made him feel that everything was going to be all right. I wish now that I would have hugged him, but at the time it was really unthinkable to do that.<\/p>\n

We were still too young to date \u00e2\u20ac\u201c even among other JWs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c when we decided that we had a mutual crush going on. Basically, this meant that there was something to look forward to at those endless meetings \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we could say shy hellos and give each other bashful smiles.<\/p>\n

After a while, we got permission to talk with one another on the telephone. He was so so sooo shy. For the first few conversations, he had no idea what to say to me. So he read aloud the text from the back of Beach Boys record albums. He loved the Beach Boys. Eventually, we started to really talk. It was much easier on the telephone than in person, especially with everyone in the congregation monitoring us all the time. We would tell each other about bugs and rocks and plants, and how comforting and safe it felt to be among trees. He always told me that I was beautiful and kind and funny – especially funny. At a time when I was very insecure and very often sad myself, we cheered each other up.<\/p>\n

Well, things move on. Sadly, I dumped him. Unceremoniously. With the fickleness of youth, I had a crush on another boy, and the year of Lee and Heidi was over. He was mad at me, and hurt of course, and it took a while to admit that we actually still liked each other and could be friends. I knew he still liked me \u00e2\u20ac\u0153that way\u00e2\u20ac\u009d though, and a couple of years later, I did give him a kiss. It was in jest, almost a dare (I was in a time of some confusion). I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know until about a year ago that it had been his first kiss. We never held hands, or went out alone on a date, or anything like that. Just the one kiss \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but it was a good one (smile).<\/p>\n

Lee was third generation. Not only his father, but also his grandfather, were Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witness elders. In high school, I started to hear that Burnam was saying bad things about me, and I was shocked. I felt so betrayed! My lack of understanding on how or why that could possibly be the case gave me unaccustomed courage and I confronted him with what I had been told. His face fell, and he searched my eyes \u00e2\u20ac\u201c something no other elder had done. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, Heidi,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said \u00e2\u20ac\u201c his voice breaking. Later I discovered that it was Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grandfather \u00e2\u20ac\u201c someone I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d only met briefly, occasionally \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who was the one who had somehow developed a very bad impression of my \u00e2\u20ac\u0153dangerousness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d – not Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dad at all. I went to him at the next meeting, and apologized profusely. Presumably, he investigated the thing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, we never spoke of it again. Lee wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t talk about it. But it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t long after that when I was accused of many things that didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually happen. Ahh, the rumor mill of malicious gossip.<\/p>\n

What I remembered, though, was that Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father was the only elder who treated me as a full person. He talked to me honestly and respectfully. I think it was the death of Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dad that prompted Lee to find me again. He needed to talk, and to remember. <\/p>\n

I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that he had forgotten the best and funniest thing that had ever happened, the day that Bernie got a little creative.<\/p>\n

He was giving a talk on what it means, scripturally, to be a righteous man, and he had an idea for how to set it up. So we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re sitting at the Kingdom Hall meeting, and suddenly through the speakers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Body, body, wanna feel my body, body\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the opening for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Macho Man<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (video<\/a>) by the Village People<\/a>!<\/p>\n

First of all, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t begin to explain the shock. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only time I ever heard any other music than canned recordings of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kingdom songs\u00e2\u20ac\u009d at the Hall. Then \u00e2\u20ac\u201c OBVIOUSLY he had NO IDEA that the Village People were gay. None. None at all, or it would have been an entirely different sort of talk.<\/p>\n

And then \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Bernie comes strutting up to the podium, flexing his biceps and bouncing to the music. I thought I was going to pee my pants. It was one of the very few times that I remember where almost everyone was roaring with laughter.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is that what it means to be a man \u00e2\u20ac\u201c being ‘macho'”? <\/p>\n

Wow \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was hard to settle down to the scriptures after that. It did make the point, and it was perfect, but\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, someone must have enlightened the parental units. Lee was made to destroy much of his album collection that day. When we talked about it, we got almost hysterical with laughter, until he remembered the aftermath. <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But Lee, dear \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you decide \u00e2\u20ac\u201c was it worth it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He thought about it for a couple of heartbeats, then started laughing again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes. Yes, Heidi. It really was. Thank you. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the best memories of my Dad \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that was so cool. It was worth it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lee had lots of hard times, and sometimes it was as a result of bad choices, but I knew Lee really well \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he had reasons to want and even need his escape vectors. Like most JWs, he never got to go to college, and he seriously injured his back some years back. He got addicted to the painkillers and had to go through a lot to get off of them, finally. He had financial troubles, too \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t manage his meager funds very well. His love life was always a disaster area – I might have been the only woman that he really trusted.<\/p>\n

His daughter – oh! Molly was the sun and the moon to him. He was so proud of her. He wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have wanted to abandon her, but to love and protect her always.<\/p>\n

\"Lee
Lee and Molly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lee was so hungry for caring and love and joy and laughter. Whenever he could be with a group of people, it made him so happy. He would open up. And when he opened up \u00e2\u20ac\u201c oh, what magic! As he got older, the Opie side of him never quite went away but more and more he reminded me of Dan Akyroyd (especially as the character Joe Friday in the 1987 movie Dragnet<\/a>). There was a slight physical resemblance, but more that that – the combination of abruptness, dry humor, and – yes, even then – a slightly naive kind of openness and innocence. I would have loved to have seen Lee decked out like a Blues Brother – just once.<\/p>\n

\"Lee\"
Lee<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Dan
Dan Akyroyd<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

Recently, he had attended a JW assembly with this mother. It meant a lot to her that he go to the thing. He said that he was still able to get something from it \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he still believed in God \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and that it meant so much to her that he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t refuse her. I thought it was a very giving thing. <3\n\nWe talked about the JWs a lot. Over and above the doctrines and all, the thing that had most bothered both of us \u00e2\u20ac\u201c going way back \u00e2\u20ac\u201c was the way that legalism was more important than kindness. \n\nI hope that if any Jehovah's Witnesses read this, that you might try \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just try \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to be a little kinder and less petty and judgmental with your brothers and sisters.\n\nFollow the way of love and compassion, even \u00e2\u20ac\u0153loving-kindness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and especially, please be kind to the children. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re already asking a lot from them. Be kind. Be loving. Be true. It matters. They \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and you \u00e2\u20ac\u201c don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be perfect, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to be perfect, can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t possibly be perfect. Do the best you can, and trust in love. Be kind to one another.\n\nAs an adult, Lee was only very nominally part of the JW community, primarily to avoid being cut off from his mother. His memory is not authentically honored by contributing to the community that so often treated him badly. Even at the funeral, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m told that there was one older man who, bible in hand, intimated that Lee had brought his death upon himself. I didn't go to the funeral. It would have been very difficult to travel there in time - as a former JW, I strongly suspect I wouldn't have been welcome anyway. Lee was gone, and I didn't think I could get - or offer - much comfort there.\n\nLee died from complications of a preventable hospital staph infection<\/a>. These deadly infections have affected the lives of several people that I know, and Lee is the second death among my close family and friends. In both cases, children were left fatherless. Lee worked for many years caring for others in a hospital setting, and it seems appropriate to me to honor his own real service and to work against this type of preventable death.<\/p>\n

So while the official family request \u00e2\u20ac\u0153in lieu of flowers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was for contributions to the local Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witness Kingdom Hall, I would ask you to consider contributing to (or taking action for) a higher standard of hospital care. Please visit some of these sites and\/or doing something to support this cause:<\/p>\n