The Saturday morning of Memorial Day Weekend well over 100 of us gathered at the Park Point Beach House to celebrate the life of Mark Ham. Mark and his wife, Cathie, would often row early in the morning just off the shore where we gathered on the beach. When I first spoke with Cathie, she said the service has to be outside and so it was. It was a beautiful day following the previous day of wind and driving rain.
After retiring as the pastor of Peace Church, I began working as a paraprofessional with kids on the autism spectrum at Lincoln Park Middle School. Mark was the therapist for several of those kids. They loved him and he taught them new ways to be in the world, to breathe through their anxiety. I give thanks for what he taught those kids and for what he taught so many of us.
Tim and I came to Duluth about the same time as Cathie and Mark did. Our houses were just a block apart. Our kids were often making their way down to 2nd St. from our house on 3rd St. Their house was infinitely more fun, they had composting worms and couches for jumping on.
When their Molly was about four and our Maddie not yet two, Mark, Tim and I took them on a BWCA trip up Sawbill Lake into Smoke Lake. Cathie stayed home with newly born Will. Their dog Hummer, a Brittany Spaniel, made the trip with us.
Mark paddled stern with Hummer sitting in the front. The dog kept jumping out for a swim, especially as the portages neared. We would hear Hummer crashing through the woods, popping out into the lake every so often. Mark would just calmly grab him by the scruff of his neck and pull him back into the canoe. At first It made me nervous, terrified we would lose their dog. Not Mark, he said just let him enjoy the swim, let him run. He’ll come back. And Hummer always did.
That is how it was with Mark, he trusted it would be okay. He just enjoyed the moment. The woods were his place of awe and ahh. Mark invited all of us including Hummer to be free in those moments.
Mark died in the BWCA, one pack in his canoe and another on his back. We don’t know what happened as he was loading up his canoe. It seems he was intending to continue his solo paddle up to Lake Lac la Croix. That Lake was his very favorite place. He had even told his kids he wanted to be buried there.
The Northern Lights were brilliant in the sky the night his body was found. Dancing spirits lighting the way. Mark has truly embarked on another journey, a journey which began in his favorite place. Someday we will join him as we come back together on the portage home.
The benediction I used for Mark’s celebration of life comes from a letter he wrote to himself. I think it is a word of grace from him to all of us, “Be well, joyful, at peace and happy. Live with love and gratitude in the world.”
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