In the early 1980s, a group of of friends (Dick, Ronnie Rosen, Leo Bergman, Georgette Quie, Nancy Smith, Denise Platt, Fran Baskin and me) decided to take a trip to Kihei, Maui, together. We rented a couple of condos for a week and did nothing but carry on, hang out at the beach, eat, drink and play 24/7. “The girls” in the group found ourselves singing (with the help of a few Pina Coladas) the Hawaiian song “Going to a Hukelau” and since we all loved Dickie, we changed the words from Hukelau to Dickie-Lau. “Oh we’re going to a Dickie-Lau; to a Dickie, Dickie, Dickie, Dickie Dickie-Lau”! We started each day with our new anthem and our Dickie-Lau was so named. Eventually he adopted a self-proclaimed shortened version to “Lau“ when he would sign off on a voice mail message, a card, etc., and simply say ”Ciao. Lau.”
So..ciao, my dear Lau. I know I’ll see you again.

At an art gallery near Sea Ranch last year, I found THE most perfect gift for Lau...a termite farm, aptly named the "Termitat".  Basically, it's a slice of a log elegantly sandwiched between plexiglass into which a small colony of termites lives. You occasionally give them water and watch as they bore through the wood, creating an interesting pattern of tunnels.

Dick and I loved finding 'that perfect gift' for each other. As soon as I saw the Termitat, I knew I had to get it for Lau. I gave it to him for Christmas last year; this is his reaction...he didn't disappoint!

As I recall this story, one day when Dick was working in the pawn shop, a guy came in and held him up at knifepoint. He forced Dick to give him a gun, and then demanded bullets. Well, the pawn shop didn't keep bullets for obvious reasons. Dick astutely said he was getting the guy bullets, and instead pulled out a loaded gun they had on premises, and pointed it at him.

He told the thief something like, "this gun is loaded, my finger is on the trigger, and I'm nervous, so don't make any sudden moves." He then proceeded to get the robber to drop his knife and wait there at gunpoint, while Dick called the police. 

This article says "Ronnie's Pawn Shop" but he worked for Billy Bob Ramey at what I thought was called "Bill's Pawn Shop".  Anyway, very cool thinking on Lau's part...what a guy!

I've had several interesting connections with Lau these past few weeks; one such story involving Mary DeRiemer...

Twice in the past few months, I woke up from a bad dream in the middle of the night feeling fear, and thinking about Lau.  It turned out that both of these nights Dick had 'desaturation events', i.e. his oxygen levels dropped to dangerously low levels.

After the second of these, I told him that if he got to a stressful place like that again that he wouldn't be alone; that I had an agreement with my dharma group to meditate for him. That we'd all be present with him in our minds/thoughts/prayers and that he wouldn't be alone 

Well, about an hour  after that conversation Dick's oxygen levels dropped again, and he was sent to UCSF.  I immediately emailed my buddhist group requesting they keep Lau in their thoughts/prayers/meditations.  Mary DeRiemer stopped by while boating (with a heart rock she found) so we could meditate together for Dick. We meditated again later that night, along with Suzanne, using Facebook.

The next day I talked to Dick in ICU. I couldn't understand his words, so he wrote a note (pictured above._ I said "Mary Dreamer...what about Sweet Mary DeRiember'? He said "She was in the hospital with me all day yesterday, taking care of me...you were there too."

I was blown away, as was Dick when I explained that Mary and I weren't physically there but had meditated together for him.  (And he sweetly said, "I'm glad she wasn't physically here" as he realized the danger of being in ICU with Covid and everyone wearing full-on PPE)

Could be a coincidence, or could just be one of the many ways we're evidently 'entangled'...either way, it was a very cool connection!

The heart rock Mary found for Dick