The purpose of this site

The purpose of this site is to share current information with those close to Dan and Nancy Dryden, and to offer a forum for friends and family to share their support.

On Saturday, August 9th Daniel P. Dryden was killed defending his wife and property while sailing in Guatemala.

Nancy survived the incident and was hospitalized for 5 days to receive treatment for a punctured lung.

Jessica, Brian, Daniel, Renee and cousin Ale traveled to Guatemala to be with Nancy. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers in sending Dan's spirit on and for the support of Nancy's recovery.

A memorial in Alaska is planned for Sunday, October 5, 2008 in Palmer. Please look for details listed in "the reception" link on this website.

please email your encouragement and prayers to dan.dryden.memorial@gmail.com

or to:

Nancy Dryden
10175 Glenn Hwy.
Palmer AK 99645

Photos

In my mind I hear Dan calling out: "Come on, Come on" So many times he urged us to reach beyond our limitations to the world of possibilities. How exuberently he embraced that world with open arms. From the perfect loaf of bread to the best windlass--so many aspects of life brought him profound pleasure. How much he enjoyed sharing that pleasure with us all!

Good man Dan lies down
He sails free
He lives on
Where the river meets the sea

think of it as an ocean voyage; those of us here are happy for you, for your journey. but we are also sad to see you go because we know we will not see you for awhile, as it was for us when you two left. we wave, smile and say goodbye. while on the other side of the ocean on the other shore there is much rejoicing. everyone is excited to see you,happily waving ,saying "here They come ! here they come!

“If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me” Psalms 139:9-10

"To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage." Lao Tzu.

As I drove to work Monday morning, there behind the Dryden house was a rainbow. It was 6 am and there was the brightest, colorful a rainbow I have ever seen that early in the morning. All I could think of was Dan...he has come home. Dan always had such a big, warm smile whenever I saw him. He always made me feel so special and happy. Whether it was talking politics, finding revegetation methods for the eroded bluff, or just having fun, Dan always had something to say. He will always be in our heart. And there will always be a rainbow over Sutton.



Saturday night, in the midst of a troubled sleep, I had a dream. I don't believe it's to be taken literally, but maybe there is a message in it from Baba. You were sitting with a small group of us and said, "Dan's last words to me were, 'the beauty in my heart, the beauty in my heart!'" May he be merged and immersed in that beauty!

The Traveler
by James Dillet Freeman

He has put on invisibility.
Dear Lord, I cannot see --
But this I know, although the road ascends
And passes from my sight,
That there will be no night;
That You will take him gently by the hand
And lead him on
Along the road of life that never ends,
And he will find it is not death but dawn.
I do not doubt that You are there as here,
And You will hold him dear.

Our life did not begin with birth,
It is not of the earth:
And this that we call death, it is no more
Than the opening and closing of a door --
And in Your house how many rooms must be
Beyond this one where we rest momently.

Dear Lord, I thank You for the faith that frees,
The love that knows it cannot lose its own;
The love that, looking through the shadows, sees
That You and he and I are ever one!

DEATH IS THE LAST GREAT FESTIVAL

"Death is the last great festival on the road to freedom." (Bonhoeffer)

Go gently on your voyage, beloved.
Slip away with the ebb tide,
rejoice in a new sunrise.

May the moon make a path across the sea for you,
the Son provide a welcome.
May the earth receive you and the fire cleanse you
as you go from our love
into the presence of love's completeness.

“He had that kind of charisma about him to encourage people to go beyond their comfortable limits. … He inspired a lot of people because of the natural enthusiasm he had for life,”

The Unbroken

There is a brokenness out of which comes the unbroken,
A shatteredness out of which blooms the unshatterable.
There is a sorrow beyond all grief which leads to joy
And a fragility out of whose depths emerges strength.
There is a hollow space too vast for words
Through which we pass with each loss,
Out of whose darkness we are sanctioned into being.
There is a cry deeper than all sound
Whose serrated edges cut the heart as we break open
to the place inside which is unbreakable and whole,
while learning to sing.

Rashani, 1991

Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other
That we are still
Call me by my old familiar name
Speak to me in the easy way you always used
Put no difference into your tone
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed
At the little jokes we always enjoyed together
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was
Let it be spoken without effort
Without the ghost of a shadow in it
Life means all that it ever meant
It is the same as it ever was
There is absolute unbroken continuity
What is death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind
Because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you for an interval
Somewhere very near
Just around the corner
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost
One brief moment and all will be as it was before
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!