A much loved and deeply respected teacher in our community – Graeme Watson – died in London last Sunday with his beloved Liz, his principal carer, beside him.
Together with Liz, Graeme touched many hearts by his spirit of wisdom, humility and his insight into the heart of scripture. He enriched and inspired all who met and listened to him. Our whole Community holds Liz and their family in the silence of our hearts and offer them the support of our prayers in this time of loss and wonder. Fr Laurence says “I was blessed by spending some time with Graeme before he died and to be able to tell him something of what he had given me – as to so many others – by his spirit of truth and insight. Our community and the whole church – he served as an Anglican priest for many years – must feel we are lessened by his absence. . As I sensed, though, when I last saw him, when he had already half-entered the great silence that he has now fully embraced, his presence in that silence of the great communion is stronger than ever. Our community at Bonnevaux send our love and sympathy to Liz and the family and will remember them at our Eucharist on Tuesday (14 January).”
A few weeks ago Fr Laurence asked Graeme, if he could find the strength to do so, to send us all a message. He managed to write one full of hope and faith :
As I approach that day of departure from this earth, there will of course be powerful feelings of loss and sorrow for those I leave behind, my many dear friends and family, my darling Liz, but my overwhelming thoughts are of thanksgiving for a life which has been truly blessed, not least in the last twenty years with my discovery of the gift of Christian Meditation. For me it has been a flowering of something deeply rooted in me, which needed space and time to develop. In due course, and with Laurenceâs friendship and encouragement, I wrote a couple of books and articles, and have given recorded talks, which have helped to spread the word around the world . Some 16 years ago I shared in founding and nourishing a weekly Meditation group in my own church, and for 10 years was Co-ordinator of the NE London Region working alongside Eileen McDade and Geoff Waterhouse. For 3 years I also supported Liz in her role as National Coordinator. His books on the Cloud of Unknowing and The Song of Songs were richly steeped in his own inner discoveries.
