Bob Carty was an old friend. We had not seen much of one another for a long time but we had shared work, living together and dreams when I had hair and he had a gorgeous beard! Bob died this week after a long battle with cancer. Some would say that Bob was an incredibly successful radio documentary journalist; some called him a talented singer, songwriter whose music brought people together within the genre I liked to call folk music at its best. He won more awards than one could imagine as a journalist with CBC; he had a significant following of his fun loving, justice-oriented music and had an engaging, dynamic personality that afforded most of us to love him, even from afar! Okay, so why, beside my personal sense of loss would I blog about this man?
Bob Carty was not part of our Good Shepherd Network....but Bob was a Shepherd like no other. Bob and I shared intense moments and experiences together 40 years ago but that journey shared is as fresh today as it was then. He modeled an incredible dedication to study and research yet spurned formal education. He critiqued his Church strongly but nurtured his profound faith always. He had a sense of urgency for justice for the poor and a dedication to work for changing oppressive systems everywhere. Within it all, Bob had an easy going, steady and consistent way of teaching and inspiring goodness, confidence and competence in others like few others can demonstrate.
Bob Carty inspired a consistent commitment to reflective practice...he always reviewed his own and his team's work. He taught others about the value of situating ourselves in front of the circumstance we would encounter, the people we would meet or address, knowing that the best place to start is always where THEY are at. This sensitive awareness is what made him so engaging with others and allowed him to lead the rest of us to a deeper place.
After all is said and done, I don't think I will remember what awards he won; I will not ever remember what was the first or last song he ever wrote. I will always remember how it felt to share a piece of our mutual journey, our growth as persons, our learning about the world and this complex life we live. And how this felt was truly life giving, profoundly more than words can capture. I am a better person today for having known him.
So my friend, the award-winning journalist and the folk singing troubadour, has left this human journey. But his legacy is an intimate, personal witness to self reflection, changing oneself as one works to change systems and knowing that each one of us has a special gift to leave to this world.
How many of us have had a special person in our life who found the goodness in us? Surely, we have had that one person....so what did they reveal to you? What is that special gift you have? Go find it, nurture it, share it and, in time, leave it. Thanks, Bob, for the profound gift you have left us.
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