It is with great sadness I share with this wonderful community, under 
the guidance and leadership of Dennis, the unexpected passing of Dr. Jeffrey Stewart Allen. He and I shared a journey of fireside chats on Wednesday afternoons for several years. For those of you who did not get to know him, he was an extraordinary man who loved to explore multiple areas with a deep dive.
When we lose someone special, we encounter a void within ourselves and as I have learned, no one can replace that void. It is with this awareness, we gain a better understanding of what we have lost.
With this knowledge, we then can fully honor the person who blessed our journey for the time we had together. I do not have the words to express fully what I want to share with our community. Here is a piece by Maya Angelou, and it is my wish all of you will find value in this piece when that special someone leaves a void in your heart. Dr. Jeff always ended our chats with “Be blessed.” May all of you Be Blessed.
When Great Trees Fall
by Maya Angelou
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance,
fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
Source: More Maya Angelou
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Editor’s Note: I speak for so many when I say that Jeff was a good man, a wise man, a generous man, and a man whose presence will be missed across our many communities. I had the pleasure of getting to know Jeff over many years as was captivated by his pure wisdom of experience so freely shared with us all. Our heartfelt sympathy is extended to his dear wife Cynthia and family. Dennis & Team 360°
For Jeff’s loving family: https://everloved.com/life-of/jefferson-stewart/donate/
Melinda, I m greatly saddened at this news… I just saw this and just hours ago was speaking about grief and loss. Dr. Jeffrey Stewart Allen was a great soul and gentleman. I truly admired and respected him. There was dignity in all he did. With that, I am grieving now too. And that is allowed.
Thank you for this eloquent announcement that must have been so hard for you to deal with he remains in our hearts. He has made a permanent impression that will never be forgotten RIP Dr. J 🙏
Oh, Paula, grief is complex with emotions hard to express. Thank you for your gracious words here as grief connects us all.