tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7189069554843461796.post5217449908002094669..comments2012-06-16T06:37:46.694-07:00Comments on layaseghi: The Circle of Life and DeathLaya Seghi, LCSWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15262582063525761623noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7189069554843461796.post-52182639772002390162011-08-13T09:30:10.746-07:002011-08-13T09:30:10.746-07:00Laya,
Tears are pouring down my face from reading...Laya, <br />Tears are pouring down my face from reading this beautiful post. It is just amazing that Tom felt a need, and followed it, to return to his roots and to share that history with you and your children. <br />My sister and I were drawn to work on my father's family tree and to search out the places of his ancestry in the final years of his life and continuing after his death, so I know how powerful those experiences are. <br />Clearly Tom had some subconscious knowledge of nearing the end of his life and a need to connect with his history and his early life, and he was wise enough and in touch with his inner wisdom enough to do so. It gives me goosebumps to think that the day before he died he went back to his childhood home for the first time! And I am so happy for you that he wanted to share this with you, and that the landlord was so open and interested in Tom's connection and the history of the building. I believe he would be interested to know that Tom died the next day, and how perfect it was that he was open and interested in hearing Tom's story and to talk of connections to the past. When our hearts are open and interested, we do so much for one another. <br />Thank you so much for sharing the pictures. I loved hearing the story and seeing Tom as a baby and child and adult, the day before he died, back where it all began. <br />I have shared this quote dozens of times in my life, and I'm sure you've seen it before, but I think it's even more important at this time in your life: "The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. That is why we put these stories in each others' memory. This is how people care for themselves." (Barry Lopez)<br />It nourishes all of us to hear your stories about Tom and to follow the story of your grief. And we in turn need to nourish you with stories of our memories of him and other stories. Thank you SO much for sharing this story and the pictures. <br />Thank you also for the brushstroke. It is a perfect metaphor for the completeness and yet the transience of life, like the Wheel of Fortune card in the Tarot. How many brush strokes you must have seen him make over the course of your life time together! And he knew exactly how to make each stroke to bring something to life! <br />Laya, my heart is with you in your grief as you make meaning of this huge and sudden loss of the love of your life. <br />Love,<br />MollyMollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17920742777772454061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7189069554843461796.post-56875923430018984922011-08-11T06:11:43.124-07:002011-08-11T06:11:43.124-07:00BS"D
Dearest Sweet Laya,
After reading what y...BS"D<br />Dearest Sweet Laya,<br />After reading what you wrote and viewing Tom the baby, the toddler and the adult by his childhood home, and then reading everyone's comments, I felt a strong yearning to see Tom's art. I hope you all can see this http://tomseghi.com/ and will explore the site (-:<br /><br />My 2 children, now teens, remember Tom's patience and generosity of spirit as he gave us a tour of his Rivo Alto studio many years ago when they were young and they both clearly remember his kindness and his remarkable art as expression of himSelf. <br /><br />Today, I have designated money to start a Seghi Oil Paint Scholarship Fund in Israel where i live. There is a young, single-mom-of-of-2-young-kids art teacher who uses oils, pastels, watercolors and sketching pencils with students of all ages. Now, we can elevate the soul of our dearly beloved Tom Seghi, MAY HIS MEMORY BE A BLESSING. I have in mind that the student be a budding artist teenager, who not only can learn to master oil painting, but can learn about Tom Seghi and his work through the internet. My intention is to interview the candidates and get to know the one we choose. If this idea resonates to any of you, please email me jyachad@gmail.com. I am open to seeing the idea grow, even to the level of a scholarship at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem or the Bezalel Institute in Manhattan. The artist Bezalel was the brilliant, gifted one put in charge of designing the Tabernacle in the desert The Jewish People. http://bible.cc/exodus/36-1.htm<br />May all of our acts of kindness elevate Tom's soul.<br /><br />Yachad Shifman<br />Ramat Beit Shemeh, IsraelYachad Shifmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18346453619502315838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7189069554843461796.post-15286792130114313762011-08-10T09:00:12.226-07:002011-08-10T09:00:12.226-07:00Laya - Todah!
Thank you for writing these gems...w...Laya - Todah!<br />Thank you for writing these gems...which are like anchored buoys for us to grab onto, as we try to sail the waters of this loss. I read the one about Tom's "grounded shoes" at the table to the family. Someone commented that on Tisha B'Av, we also "mourn through our shoes" and don't wear leather shoes - here most of us don't wear shoes at all. We lost our land on this day, we went into exile, and we stopped being "grounded" as a people. Sometimes we need to go barefoot and feel every pebble in order to regain some "grounding." With Tom's Shloshim falling right after the date of Tisha B'Av, his loss is "in sync" with the greater loss of our people. Perhaps this is what is meant in the words "May you be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."<br />Laya - that whole conversation was sparked by your written words...<br />Please don't stop writing and inspiring!<br />Love,<br />MichaelMichaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15262239703053503550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7189069554843461796.post-18687454143312750772011-08-10T07:50:16.194-07:002011-08-10T07:50:16.194-07:00Aunt Laya,
Your writing is so beautiful, so elega...Aunt Laya,<br /><br />Your writing is so beautiful, so elegant. It has helped me get through this difficult time. Your memories of Uncle Tom are so enlightening. It was as if he knew something by taking those trips to both Italy and his boyhood home in recent months. Uncle Tom was always so interested in his family's past and I admired you both for being able to take these trips in order to delve into our herItage further. Keep writing! <br /><br />Laurenlaurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02170529198547372891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7189069554843461796.post-68415340197937722172011-08-10T03:28:17.952-07:002011-08-10T03:28:17.952-07:00LaSega! The source of his strength. His very name....LaSega! The source of his strength. His very name.Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11279652482695309086noreply@blogger.com