[NatureNS] FW: Chris Majka's tribute to his mother (Facebook)

From: Eric Mills <E.Mills@Dal.Ca>
To: "Nature Nova Scotia (naturens@chebucto.ns.ca)"
Thread-Topic: Chris Majka's tribute to his mother (Facebook)
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Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 16:46:31 +0000
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Nova Scotia naturalists too will be saddened by the loss of Mary Majka, but inspired by her life.

Eric Mills
________________________________________
From: NatureNB <NATURENB@listserv.unb.ca> on behalf of Laurie Murison <gmwhale@NBNET.NB.CA>
Sent: February-13-14 12:25 PM
To: NATURENB@LISTSERV.UNB.CA
Subject: Chris Majka's tribute to his mother (Facebook)

Chris posted this on his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/notes/christopher-majka/emily-mary-majka-1923-2014/628753547160793

For those without Facebook, here is the text minus the photos:

Emily Mary Majka (1923-2014)
.
February 12, 2014 at 7:23pm

As the photo above illustrates, Mary Majka was a child of nature; she loved and reveled in every breeze, every wave, every living creature, and every experience in that natural domain.

But she was also deeply committed to the community of her fellow beings. To sharing the wonder she found in the natural world; to preserving it for this and future generations; to the innumerable friends she made in every corner of the globe during her long and productive life. Ultimately, to leaving the world a better place than she had found it. For both the sandpipers that flocked to her shores, and the people that came to share in those wonders of nature.

Mary lived through some of the most tumultuous times of the 20th century, in the heart of a continent torn apart by war, pain, uncertainty, suffering, and death of a kind and scale that most of us would find unimaginable. That chaos swirled around her more than once, and by luck and good fortune, she escaped a fate that befell many. Not forgetting an instant of this, it nonetheless never weighed her down - indeed she embraced life and joy the more fully for having witnessed its opposite.

I think at this moment of all who have shared in her extraordinary, tumultuous, and filled-to-the brim life. Much was done, many tales told, many songs sung. It now falls to all of us to continue that legacy.

To care for every sparrow fallen from a nest; to appreciate each blossom that raises its head to the sun; to see glory in the interplay of light and shadow on the rocks. To preserve our natural legacy; to cherish our human history. To never fear challenging the unimaginative; to never accept that we are powerless to make change; to never be daunted by obstacles on the road to a better world. To always see the good in the heart of everyone; to find the beauty in every tiny thing.

I know she would be - indeed was - deeply happy to know that she had touched the lives of so many people, and was able to impart something of value to them.  These are ways in which she lives on in all of us.

The many awards she received in her lifetime are tokens of her accomplishments on this mission. The many memories and inspiration she leaves in our hearts are the living testament of the success she achieved.

With thanks to her and all my fellow travellers for the experiences on this road,

Christopher Majka

NatureNB guidelines  http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/maryspt/nnbe.html
Foire aux questions de NatureNB  http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/maryspt/nnbf.html

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