With Our God of Love

[Ed Rosenberg]

The Rosenberg Family learned this morning that a very, very fine member of the Wildwood Catholic High School community has passed away.

Our son's closest, best friend and our "second son" is now with our God of Love.

We cherish our relationship with this young man and will always remember his wonderful personality...his smile...his politeness...his sense of humor...his intelligence.

We stand and applaud his great victories as an athlete.

Bravo...bravo...BRAVO!!

We are so very sorry. We are saddened to our core.

We cry...all of us.

Our thoughts are with his mom and dad, his entire family, and all those who our buddy touched in his time among us.

[Al Alven]

My deepest, warmest and most sincere condolences, Ed.

I am so sorry to hear of this most tragic event. My heart goes out to the family, as well as to your son, your family and anyone else who loved or otherwise knew this young person.

I lost one of my best friends to cancer three weeks ago, so I have a frame of reference for what your son must be going through. It is a terrible thing when someone so young is taken away.

I will keep you all in my prayers.

[Ed Rosenberg]

Thank you, Al.

I am very sorry to learn of your recent loss.

We are the survivors, buddy. We must trudge on...no matter how difficult it may get....and, boy, oh boy, this is going to be a tough one.

[AnthonyV]

Ed:

Like Al, I am also sad to hear the very unfortunate news. I'm not very outwardly religious, but I do pray and my thoughts are certainly with you and your family.

Last month my family also encountered a very tragic situation as my mothers best friend (who also happens to be my little son's godmother) murdered her teenage daughter one morning...None of us saw it coming or even realized that this poor woman, who tried to wear a mask of happiness whenever she was with our family, was rapidly being torn apart inside by major bouts of serious depression and a personal life that was crumbling around her.

Ironically, the times I saw her and her daughter the happiest was when they would come to vacationwith us in the Wildwoods - which they did for the last five years. It's going to be very difficult to go back down to Wildwood this year without Lynn and Niki. Especially for my mother.

Regardless of what she did (which is the most horrible thing imaginable) my family lost two people that tragic Sunday morning. While we know that we will never again see her daughter Niki again, we are wrestling with the fact that we will also probably never again see her mother as well.

But as cruel as life can sometimes be, it goes on....

[Ed Rosenberg]

Unbelievable, Anthony.

Tell your mom to come down...and you come, too. We understand. We are going through the same sort of things down here.

Setting aside all of the political chatter, the seashore is a healing place. Perhaps, a quiet walk along the shore might give your mom an opportunity to clear her mind and renew her soul as the salt air cleanses her body.

Depression and/or bipolarism probably was the cause of our buddy's end. We knew there were problems.

We were slammed, though. I can not imagine what his parents are going through...or went through yesterday morning.

John and my son were extremely close and, in recent months since my son has been living with us in between his Japan gig and moving back to New York to attend grad school, spent much of their time together. I am going to talk to him about that today. At least, he was home and had an opportunity to be with him in his last days.

John will be greatly missed by many, many in the Wildwoods and throughout our county and state.

We remain very, very proud of him and will always hold a special place in our hearts for this fine young man.

[AnthonyV]

Ed,

I appreciate your kind and thoughtful words...Your advice about the sea reminds me of something I once heard or read long ago by President Kennedy that I've never forgotten:

"I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except that I think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, the light changes, and ships change, it's because we all came from the sea...And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the same exact percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean...And therefore we have that salt in our blood, our sweat, our tears - we are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, we are going back from whence we came."

[Ed Rosenberg]

Aye, Anthony.

It appears as though there is more to the seashore than a boardwalk and restuarants and Doo Wop.

You must come to the sea again, Mate.

Here is a poem that our eighth grade teacher at the old St. Ann's School had us record for a competition...all those years ago:

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.



I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.



I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like
a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

John Masefield

[Ed Rosenberg]

Wildwood by the Sea

Isn't that something?

We try so, so hard and complicate things to the nth degree...when it is all very simple.

Just...

Wildwood by the Sea

[wildre]

Ed, Al & Anthony,

My sincerest condolences to all of you who have recently lost loved one.

Here's anothere "shore" based poem:

And That is Dying

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says:
"There she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There, she is gone!" There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
"Here she comes!"

Remember all ships are "hers"

re

[Ed Rosenberg]

Your offering, Wildre, reminds me of a conversation that I had with the curator of a Native American museum in Bar Harbor, Maine a few years back.

I asked the woman, "Where do they believe their dead go?"

"They go East." she replied.

"Is that it?" I said.

"That is all that I know."

Well, my friends, perhaps, they head towards the light...the rising sun. Perhaps, when they fade from our view and enter into the light, they are welcomed by the glad shout.

Perhaps?

Nah...I think it is so.

Everyone is Included, my friends.

And...

Our buddy...our John McGrody heard the voice of the masses shout in glee, "Here he comes!" as he sped towards his new port...the arms of the Loving One.

God bless you, John.

God bless you, Wildre, Al, Anthony, Frank, and everyone who has been so kind here.

I must go now.

[FlyinGN]

I just got back for a business trip for the last few days and just read this.


I am so sorry to hear Ed. I assume that he was a young man? That makes it so much harder.. We will say a prayer for his family and your family..

Frank

[Ed Rosenberg]

FlyinGN said:

I just got back for a business trip for the last few days and just read this.


I am so sorry to hear Ed. I assume that he was a young man? That makes it so much harder.. We will say a prayer for his family and your family..

Frank

Thanks, Frank, and thanks again to everyone.

Unfortunately, I will not be posting here any longer. As I wrote to Chris Clemans yesterday...for the third and final time. My work here in Cape May County has ended.

What will be...will be.

In general, the Wildwoods and our county, truly, are not interested in my vision of inclusion. If the leadership and...the people were, believe me, after all these years, I would know.

Take care of yourselves.

[AnthonyV]

Ed,

You wouldn't even consider just coming to this forum to share any interest you might have pertaining to the preservation of these classic mid-20th century buildings? Or just share your recollections and opinions of the Wildwoods past, present, and future?

Is it hard to just come here to have a little fun interacting with others who share at least a common interest in the Wildwoods?

I'm sure a lot of us realize your plight and support your cause. But even the loudest voice might not always get the most attention from those who simply refuse to listen. You've told us your concerns about "thinking inclusively" but you might want to consider the fact there might be far more important things - personal situations - in most of our lives that require more immediate attention.


By leaving this forum, simply because you haven't gotten the results you were hoping for, it seems to me that you are actually thinking more EXCLUSIVELY if anything else!

Can't you just INCLUDE yourself within this forum and share things as part of a group all merging to offer up memories and thoughts about maintaining the unique character of the Wildwoods?

If not, then I'm sorry that asking so little is actually asking way too much.

Take care,

Anthony

[FlyinGN]

what he said.. lol

stay and share wildwood thoughts with us Ed..

Frank

[AnthonyV]

I think Ed "has left the building," though I'm really not sure why....