From Lenora DeSanctis in New York

Thursday, February 28, 2008

From Lenora DeSanctis in New York

To Larry, Roxanne, Ruby and all friends and family of Lisa,

Though I have only had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Lisa on a few occasions, her beautiful personality left such a lasting impression on me that I felt compelled to write this letter.

My first impression of Lisa was actually made by Roxanne. I will never forget my first visit to Garrison Art Center almost 3 years ago. I was brand new into homeschooling my boys Joey, Marco and Nicholas. Roxanne, in her most enthusiastic authentic self, came right up to us and gave us THE MOST warm welcome. I had been a classroom teacher for over 10 years and had never seen such confidence and self-worth come from a 12- or 13-year-old. A few moments later, Ruby came up and introduced herself to us. Again, I was just so enamored with what I was witnessing: confidence, maturity, enthusiasm, love.

As soon as I met Lisa, I knew immediately where these beautiful girls got these wonderful gifts.

How lucky we all are to have them share that with us. Lisa sat and talked to me, as I know she has done with so many others, and just reassured me regarding my decision to homeschool. We had a few phone conversations here and there, and I always hung up feeling so happy, inspired and again, reassured.

My heart goes out to all of you that have had the unique experience of having known Lisa for so long. I can only take all the beauty, life, light and love that she passed my way and pass it on to others. That will be the gift that I can give back to honor her life.

Lenora DeSanctis
Ossining, NY

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About This Blog

Lisa was buried yesterday, February 27, 20008, very near her home in Lake Peekskill, New York. The part of New York where she was "laid to rest"* is just to the east of the beautiful Hudson River and is notable for its verdant, rolling hills. The site where she was buried is, if my navigational skills are intact, in a western-facing slope of one of these hills, providing the viewer with a breathtaking vision of hills and valleys.

If standing on a rather steep slope under a steely
February sky with a biting, chilly wind weren't, um, challenging enough, the slushy snow and ice underfoot definitely added an intensity to the moment. Every now and again, someone would succumb and suddenly slip, even though they were standing still.

Yet, somehow we were warm, all of us there together. (We reminded me, just a little, of the penguins who huddle in Antarctica. Okay. Perhaps I'm exaggerating just a tad!)

The rabbi who conducted the service (I didn't catch his name) was eloquent and impassioned. As Liam's young friend Ben said as we drove home later, "How could he not be? He had excellent material to work with." So true. You really got the sense, you knew that this man knew Who Lisa was. He was thorough and kind.

When the opportunity for the mourners to speak came, I stepped up with my 20-page-long list of messages, some lengthy, some brief, that had been sent from very near and very far. Before I left the house for the funeral, I timed the reading of the whole thing and found it to exceed 30 minutes' duration! And that was with some editing. I felt that I couldn't do that to this slipping-and- sliding, shivering bunch. So, although I was prepared to read all the submissions, I read only one rather concise piece and told folks that they could look at the tribute blog I am creating to see the rest in all their unabridged beauty. You are here now.

For a while, there, last year, Lisa and I and a couple of other local unschoolers (Mary Ann and Robin) were trying to get an unschooling information night going for folks who expressed an interest in learning about unschooling. I believe it was Lisa's idea, and she invited me to participate ~ how incredibly honored I felt! For some reason tonight, after the funeral, I looked back through our email exchanges; we were
working on refining the notices for the event and the event itself. Looking through these emails, I felt a sharp pain in my heart that I will not be having these exchanges any longer with this impossibly wonderful, bright, sweet person.

We also talked about her puzzling, frustrating illness in many of these emails; the illness, by the way, precluded our ever getting this thing off the ground. It was the consensus of the three of us, Mary Ann, Robin, and me, that Lisa and Roxanne and Ruby were indispensable; I felt they could have gotten along without me just fine, but I couldn't imagine the thing without Lisa. ::sigh::

I'm really rambling when I ought to be sleeping. If you're moved to add a contribution to this tribute and you haven't already sent me something, please do send me something now. It'll never be too late.

Sending you love,

Marji

** For the record, while Lisa's body may have been "laid to rest," I believe her spirit SOARS and will never, ever "rest." (Okay, maybe for a moment or two.) I believe she is as proactive in spirit as she was in the flesh and she is still spreading her joyful Lisa-ness now everywhere.

Tribute to Lisa Heyman (October 31, 1960 - February 25, 2008)

Thursday, February 28, 2008