My brother-in-law Joe was many things: a husband, a father, a brother, a Boy Scout, a tireless worker. Just as he uncovered the beauty in the wood he carved into precious heirlooms, he carved a beautiful life.
Joe loved the earth and, especially, its life-giving water. He communed with nature, in particular, the deer and the delicate, mysterious hummingbirds. He built a home for his family on Kimball Lake and, together with his wife Diane, watched his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow in the light of the campfires and the sound of the shimmering waters on the shore of the lake.
Joe was a man of strong resolve and unwavering commitment to a dream. He worked industriously and saved determinedly for many years to build a magnificent wood carving studio which he offhandedly called his shed. There, as inspired carvers do, he brought his dream to fruition.
He was also a man of unquestioned authenticity. He would not even have understood the concept of guile. He was real...unquestioningly real. You always knew where you stood with Joe.
There was a streak of the rascal in him, too, as he loved to make outrageous statements and then back off and watch others take them on. He often remarked that he lived to provoke thought.
After Joe’s wife died several years ago, I noticed that he was particularly receptive to comments I would make to him that felt like feminine wisdom. Perhaps that was because I would always remark that “Diane would want me to say this to you."
Joe remained tethered to his truth (how he saw the world and his place in it and what he thought he could handle). But that unending persistence was merely a backdrop for the immensity of his beautiful heart.
Joe loved the earth and its inhabitants and the wonderful family and friends who populated his life. Thank you, Joe, for giving us the legacy of how to carve the life we dream. You have left us with the unparalleled joy of knowing you.
Marie Helena
In memory of my beloved brother-in-law, Joe Pokora, who made his transition into the beauty of another dimension on February 16, 2019.
image from pinterest
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