With tears of deep sadness, I want to acknowledge the passing of Bill Willis. Many of you may not know him, but if you are a fan of Evergroove, you most certainly would appreciate this beautiful man. You see, this beautiful man, among his many contributions to this world, is the father of our dear Steve Willis.

Jean, Steve and Robin, Bryan and Susan, Rose, and Zac. Our love and blessings are with you through this difficult time. May you find peace, and be filled with the grace and wisdom Bill embodied. May you find solace in each other, and the gifts of your husband, father, grandfather Bill. May you live in the heart of life just as Bill exemplified.

Then Almitra spoke,
saying, We would ask now of Death.

And he said:
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it
unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind
unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death,
open your heart unto the body of life.
For life and death are one,
even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depths of your hopes and desires
lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow
your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams,
for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the
shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand
is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling,
that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind
and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing,
but to free the breath from its restless tides,
that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence
shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top,
then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs,
then shall you truly dance.

From Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet 1923