Richard Pinelli
July 25, 1938 - July 13, 2019
Richard Pinelli was my church pastor in Edmonton from 1970 to 1973. In January, 1970 he judged me worthy of baptism, making me officially a member of the Worldwide Church of God. The Spokesman Club meetings held in his garage are memories which I retain to this day.
Mr. Pinelli had a positive impact that significantly shaped the course of my whole life.
In those days members checked all major decisions with the pastor. I was considering accounting as a career but was unsure whether that was God´s will for my life. Mr. Pinelli encouraged me to pursue that goal and six years later I achieved professional status.
I was also able to talk Pat into seeking counselling from Mr. Pinelli about getting married. Much to her surprise, he indicated that he thought we would make a good couple and that eroded her resistance. He also said something I never forgot. He told me that Pat was very much like her father and that would frustrate me at times. How right he was!
Ram Dass
April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019
Lots of people died in 2019 whose names I recognized, mostly actors, actresses and other celebrities. But few had much meaningful impact on me as they merely provided some entertainment over the years. That is not what this section of my website is trying to capture.
And Ram Dass did not have a big impact on me. But a few years ago I began paying more attention to prominent spiritual leaders. I became aware of Ram Dass and liked the quotes from his writings that I stumbled upon.
In January 2020 I organized a meeting of the Lakeside Pathfinders to celebrate the life of Ram Dass. In preparation for the gathering I read more about his life and I shared some of what I had learned. The lasting impression I have is from his comments about his psychedelic drug use. He had over four hundred such experiences which clearly did not fry his brain. And he said, significantly, that his best spiritual insights did not come from times when he was under the influence of drugs.