About 10 years ago Hayden asked me to preside at his memorial celebration. I said, "Why wait?" which resulted in 10 years worth of "pre-memorial parties." Hayden enjoyed them so much I was sure he would never die. So it was a bit of a surprise when he actually died on the evening of December 16.

     I turned to my "Hayden" file—it is large—to see what I had collected over the years. One year I collected comments about him from as many friends as I could. Phrases often repeated in those comments follow:

 "Gentle caring"
 "Humor, wisdom and compassion"
 "Cool!"
 "Charisma!"
 "Smiling"
 "Loving faith"
 "Happiness"
 "Whiskers"
 "Joyful, impious, and deeply spiritual"
 "Intuition"
 "Witty, trusting, optimistic, curious, insightful"
 "Love—his theme"
 "Youthful spirit"
 "Ability with youth"
 "Patience and Humor"
 "Joy!"
 "A kind, elder gentleman"
 "A guy with 'lotsa fizz"
 "Merry eyes"
 "Humor and spirituality together"
 "Funny comments that carry a deeper meaning"
 "Twinkle"
 "Accepting"
 "Zest for life"
 "Caring, believing"
 "Neat man"
 "Merrily!"
 "Infectious sparkle"

     In his 1998 update of "SOME PRINCIPLES" (Elaborated upon in his most recent book, "A Short History of Process), Hayden speaks revealing truths about himself and about life. He says:

 "I am one with divine energy…one with its very source…one with GOD."

 "I sense that I, and every person and every thing are in process…are evolving right now."

 "I am free to love myself, the planet and everyone on it…without conditions."

     Hayden has been a phone call or letter away for a half century. He has been and remains a living presence in hearts, minds and spirits. How do we honor a revered person? We come to his parties, give hugs, speak words of love. We keep his picture close. We try to be somewhat like him (impossible as that may be). Perhaps the best thing we can do is become the loving, caring, freeing kind of people he dreamed us to be, and by taking the great faith leap into daily trust in that companionship with the divine energy. In so doing we honor him—and immortalize him.