Otto M. Braun died today at about 11:00 AM Coeur'd Alene Time. He passed peacefully into the next life. He was 93 years old (7/4/14 - 5/8/08). He lived a long life. One never knows quite what to say at a time like this. I have so many feelings. So much in life doesn't matter in the end. I think my father died at peace as well as peacefully. I have prayed for my father every day for several years now as a living member of my family. I will now pray for him as one who has departed this life and begun living on a new plane of existence. The prayer that I will say is so beautiful, I want to share it with all of you. When I said it this morning it moved me to know that he would be living this life now and it gave me hope that I might live that life some day in the future.
"O my God! O my God! Verily, thy servant, humble before the majesty of Thy divine supremacy, lowly at the door of Thy oneness, hath believed in Thee and in Thy verses, hath testified to Thy word, hath been enkindled with the fire of Thy love, hath been immersed in the depths of the ocean of Thy knowledge, hath been attracted by Thy breezes, hath relied upon his supplications to Thee, and hath been assured of Thy pardon and forgiveness. He hath abandoned this mortal life and hath flown to the kingdom of immortality, yearning for the favor of meeting Thee. O Lord, glorify his station, shelter him under the pavilion of Thy supreme mercy, cause him to enter Thy glorious paradise, and perpetuate his existence in Thine exalted rose garden, that he may plunge into the sea of light in the world of mysteries. Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Powerful, the Forgiver and the Bestower. - `Abdu'l-Bahá
-- Bahá'í Prayers
His funeral will be in Springfield, Mo. probably sometime next week. I wish I could be there but I cannot.
I remember my father playing catch with me when I was a youngster of 12 or so, I remember learning to drive under his tutelage. I remember that he taught me to play ping pong and cribbage - both very competitively. I remember that he was impossible to play bridge with (he refused to follow any of the "rules"). I remeber that he loved baseball, that he continued to be an excellent card player until the end of his life. He had a strong faith that he tried to pass on to his children. He continued to love us even when we did not share his faith. And for the last 30 years of his life he seemed to be in a good mood almost every time I saw him.
I notice things I do now, postures that I have sometimes, expressions I imagine on my face, ways of sitting or holding myself, how I cup my face in my hand and even sometimes the way I look, that remind me of him. Sometimes I am amused, sometimes I realize I'm getting old and sometimes I wish I did not have that expression or posture. But I feel grateful that my father gave me life and a great group of siblings to love, bond, disagree and fight with. We have all turned out well (some better than others I am sure they will agree). And as we all know. dad loved Mary best but she was the only girl and a nurse to boot so none of the boys stood a chance, but after that ..... well I'm sure that is open to opinions and discussions.
I'd also like to acknowledge my brother, Joe. He lived 400 miles away from dad in Boise, ID. He was always willing to travel to Coeur'd Alene to help dad. He spent holidays and vacations with dad. He never seemed to be too busy to visit dad if that's what dad needed. These last few years he has also been our information line to let us know what his impression of dad's condition was and how he thought dad was doing. I will be forever grateful for what he did for dad that I was unable and sometimes unwilling to do.
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