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Celebrating the Life and Love of John Austin

	MESSAGES PHOTOS WHAT WE'RE LEARNING FROM JOHN JOHN'S LIFE MEMORIAL GIFTS RANDOM WELCOME

To share your story, thoughts, prayers, or photographs, please email them to kelalea@bellsouth.net. This site is being updated regularly, so we invite you to check back from time to time. We're certain the stories will continue to come in from across the country, and new connections and old will be able to flourish through the power of the internet, with which John was so enthralled.

I did not spend a lot of time with John but he made a lasting impression. John had a bigger than life 'can do' attitude and an infectious enthusiasm for life. His wit and smile could light up a room and he was NEVER at a loss for words.

Stephen Levine said, "As the heart mends, the meaning of life continues to change. At first perhaps with a bit of disappointment, but then with great relief and a sense of limitless possibility, we come to the realization that the meaning of life - to life - is the meaning we bestow up on it. That nothing but forgetting separates us from the Divine. How we approach not knowing what comes next is what gives meaning to our lives. Learning to trust the joy and pain of our unpredictable lives engages the richness of the heart and suggests purpose."

John's life had great meaning. I feel his transition was joyous and that his light shines brightly on another plane.

Beth Franklin
Birmingham, Alabama

Dearest John,

I’m glad we got to say goodbye and have a couple of last laughs. The synchronicity of our showing up at the Celebrate Your Life event in Scottsdale, each wearing our respective “movie caps,” was fun—you were so proud and excited about The Celestine Prophecy movie that you couldn’t wait to share the photos and stories. How fortunate for James and Salle and Barnett, and all the new friends you made on the set, to have had those last days with you.

Your brilliance and talent never failed to amaze me over the years. Your surprise phone calls out of the blue always delighted me, especially the one in which you announced that you were probably flying right over me in Ashland in that very moment, on your way from Southern California to Vancouver, BC, your most special place on the earth.

I loved it that I had a partner in this work that we do; that we had a mutual love of golf was more than I could ask—truly cohorts in every sense of the word. Every time we were together it was as if I’d connected with a piece of me, and I am stunned and saddened by your sudden decision to leave. Ah, well. No doubt there is a golf course in heaven on which we will someday meet.

Here’s my overriding thought about you, John. You and I probably knew more author/speakers and their quirks and idiosyncrasies than almost anyone, and we could have spent lots of time in gossip, but you were never small enough to point out anyone’s foibles or criticize someone for being human. You always saw the very best in people. That’s why you have so many friends, John. I am proud and happy to be among them.

So long, sweetheart. Be well. I’ll see you later.
Rita Curtis

John Austin was the best. He was the kind of man you simply had to know and the more you knew about him the more you wanted to know. I met John many years ago and became fast friends. He was a kind and loving spirit even in the midst of chaos and confusion. I worked with John and loved him, hated him, made up with him, debated him, laughed with and at him, but most of all I respected him. I simply have not been unable to wrap my arms around his untimely passing yet I know that birth is not the beginning and death is not the end. I also know that the spirit of the man continues on. I have often stated that when someone is taken from us suddenly "that God made him an offer he could not refuse". That was John never to walk away from a challenge or offer a solution. He accepted the offer that God had for him and I am sure that he is doing the work that God would have him do, and doing an excellent job. John was not an apprentice he was an initiate. He would go to the depths of research to find the answer to any question, lay it out so that the least of us could understand it and would celebrate together the discovery. He was creative, and I am sure that he is creating an incredible web-site in heaven. On my walk today I looked up in the sky and watched a beautiful white bellowing cloud slowly passing by in the crisp wind, I thought of John and I smiled as the cold air assisted the tear running down my cheek, I put my head back and felt the warm sun on my face, and the cold touch of my hand as I wiped the tear away and I thought it's a good day. I'll miss you John and I know that my loss is God's gain.

God Bless You
Charlette Stokes Manning

Dear John,

We miss you!

We miss your laughter and lighthearted approach to life. We miss hearing your spin on the news and the way you could embellish a story. We miss your passion about politics and your commitment to peace, justice, the environment and human rights. We miss the resonance of your "voice over" voice and the twinkle in your eyes.

Most of all, we miss your love. And we miss your wonderfully peculiar way of being you. You may be gone from our sight but you can never be gone from our hearts.

We are grateful to God for the gift of life we knew as John Winthrop Austin. We are better people for having shared a portion of this journey with you.

We love you.
We bless you.
We behold the Christ in you.

Be well.

Ric Beattie
Rochester Hills, Michigan

I used to joke that when I married Jeino I also married John. He was our constant companion through many a Monday Night Football game, Tuesdays for "ThirtySomething" and the rest of the week just because. I always knew to cook for three (Lemon Chicken was his favorite - I actually gave him a big pan of it one year for Christmas), and we'd break out the Scrabble board and play for hours. "The score's not important - it's the quality of the words"

John was there to put the first wine stain on the living room rug when that was the only thing in our new house. He was there through the loss of three babies and the miracle that is Nicky - his Godson. He was there through thick and thin and feast and famine.

When Jeino and I split up I know it was hard for him, but he handled the dual relationship with aplomb. He was there to comfort me when I burned my house down (and lost my cat to smoke inhalation) - then moved into the basement for a wonderful two years. He was there for birthdays and Christmases and intoxicated New Years'. John was my very best friend.

We had a falling out of sorts about five years ago and have not seen each other since that time. Occassionally, we would email. I visited his website and kept track of what he was doing and rejoiced in the success he was achieving. I sent pictures of Nick in birthday cards. I knew that John was there. I knew that one day we would see each other again and that a reconciliation was in order. The loss of this possiblity is almost unbearable. John, I can only hold your spirit close and remember your voice and your smile. I love you. I miss you terribly already.

Kerri Nichols

I reckon it was Spring '82 when I met John - he lived around the corner if you used the sidewalk. We walked across the field, mostly to feel the grass beneath our feet in this city. It was Southside Birmingham, and only our parents and bosses had silver in their hair. Certainly not we.

Now Merrill had this hot Camaro - Merrill was John's squeeze in those days. John used her car sometimes, and he'd park it in the little field behind the house. In front of the house, on the street side was a hill and all these steps. John didn't do stairs too good. But the way into the field had this big damn dip. Alotta cars took it in stride, but that hot primer-and-green Camaro took it hard. But John had to go. So, that afternoon I came upon a dude with a shovel. He was filling in said ditch. He said he'd just gotten back from a Jeopardy interview. Yeah. That John Austin.

He'd come into town a few weeks earlier with CBS Sports, and he was staying at the Holiday Inn just past Eastwood Mall. That's where he met Merrill and he decided to hang in the 'Ham. He musta made enough dough to become a gentleman of leisure - as he didn't hit a lick for - I dunno - months. Me? I was tending bar so my days were free to play chess with him on his porch. And... talk.

John could talk. And listen too. Me? I made the mistake of telling him that listening was one of a Bartender's most endearing traits....

Well, y'all, the Fifth Quarter advertised for bartenders, and I was ready for a change. When I told John & Merrill I got the Fifth Quarter job, he sez: "Me too." Y'know. I shoulda known.

As the name implies, Fifth Quarter was a sports bar. Now, John would lean back and watch the game, and he'd keep a running commentary that enthralled the barful. It did, however, tend to piss off his waitresses who just wanted their drinks. But when I'd shake him loose and he tended to business, he was a damn yeoman. He gave those girls more than they expected. Yeah. That John Austin.

And between John and me we broke a truck-load of bar glasses that first month. But he made the bar-backs laugh, and me too.

I learned a trick from him I carried with me the rest of my career. It was like his second night on the job, and John says to the evening Kitchen Mgr, LeRoy, "Man, you've got to help me out." He's got this glass of dark something in his hand, and he sez: "I coulda sworn the guy said 'Jack & Coke', but he musta said 'Jack & 7'.... Could you....?"

Hey, we got anything we wanted to eat from then on out.
Yeah. That John Austin.

Jeino Bennati

In a poem my daughter wrote recently:

The wind reaches his gentle hands out at me
wanting to pull me away from everything
and take me up to the moon.

He sets me down on her shoulder
as she sings to the stars
a lullaby of hope and radiance.

Over the last few weeks, I have felt as though I have put John's death on a shelf, only to pull it down in brief moments, wondering when I would truly get still and just be with it all. I have come to know loss well in my life and John is one of those people who would sit with me for hours and always help me to put it in perspective, always the Unity way. He was the person I would call when things just didn't make sense to me or when I wanted his perspective because I knew it would be so simple, yet so far out there. I find myself laughing out loud when I think about some of those times on my porch when he would just drop in from Michigan and we would look up and hours had gone by and I had forgotten to pick Chloe up from school due to this spiritual "haze" of perfection in his just being there. I have never felt so loved, special and brilliant than when I would call him to tell him of my next adventure, or Chloe's new poem or new project. He held our visions and our dreams and kept them neatly tucked in his heart. Like James said, I never really got to tell him just how much he meant to us each and every day. And most of all, I never really told him just how thankful I was that he loved my daughter. I can remember two Christmases ago, he dropped by to tell us that he had bought Chloe her own domain name and was creating a website for her. He was so very committed to keeping it updated with her poems and adventures. He could see her light and wanted to share it with the world.

In the week before his death, we had the privilege of talking with him and catching up on things, though he played down his illness. We even made plans for the holidays between Christmas and New Year's when he planned to be in Birmingham. I am so very thankful for that call, and even though he was sick, he was apologizing for not doing more............crazy man!!! For selfish reasons, I wish he had not given us so much and took better care of himself, but that is not the way it works I see. He was a giver of all givers and a light that shined so brightly in our lives.

So Chloe's poem is in honor of John. I see him sitting on the moon, being snuggled by her love and shining down the gifts of hope and radiance for all of us and our world. THANK YOU JOHN AUSTIN!!!

Robi Fugate

John was a gift to all of us here at Renaissance Unity. Rachel and I knew from the moment our son was born that John was the best person to help teach Seth Unity ways. His smile and laugh will be something we will always remember. We will miss the physical John deeply but take solace in the fact that his sprit is watching all of us from his higher place.

Enjoy your freedom John.

We love You,
Rachel, Seth and David Scott
[a photo of John and his Godson Seth Lorenzo Scott is in the Photos section]

John, for the rest of my life I will be grateful that you joined James and me in Scottsdale, Arizona in November at the Celebrate Your Life conference. It would have been much harder to say goodbye without the memory of you smiling in the back of the auditorium as you watched us lecture.

Thankfully we all took a moment in time to share meals together, talk politics, and meet like-minded people and then discuss those interesting conversations. Our final goodbye was a big hug right before James and I drove away for the airport.

You will be missed my friend. Thanks for the laughs, the phone calls, and the way you always said hello and goodbye in either French, Italian, or Portuguese. In my heart your bright light lives on.

Salle Merrill Redfield

I loved you John before I met you. Your voice, so infectious with love and
joy and hope for us all, commanded me to sit up straight, and smile and listen. "Who is this man?" I thought when we first spoke, "I like this man. This man is in touch with his passion and his joy, I want to meet this man." I remember many times sitting at my desk, caught up in my stuff and then out of the blue you would call and instantly I felt better. "John Austin!" For a
few moments I was alive and sparkling and no longer did my world seem gray. It was as though you were here on the earth, not for yourself, but for us. We got it John. Thank you.

I will always remember the lunch at Paramount Studios when you brought your dear friend Kelly because you thought we should meet. You knew we were soul sisters and that we were here to help each other do the Work. We're doing it John. Thank you. Here on earth you embodied the word 'Unity' and I could not be more happy knowing that you are finally basking in it on every level.

May God wrap you in his love for eternity. You will never be forgotten.

With great love,
Livvi

When I came as a struggling stranger to the Celestine Prophecy film location
to write the making-of-the-movie book, John Austin was a warm and welcoming presence. I quickly became aware of his generous nature and his great energy for creative and productive work. In the St. Augustine production office where our desks were close, I got to experience John's gentle humor and his spiritual capacity for sharing. I had hoped to experience his light in years of future encounters, but he is now only available on other dimensions. When I am tired and there is yet meaningful work to do, I will turn to John's image and summon the strength to continue. That is John's legacy to me, a gift given for a lifetime in a brief association of less than thirty days.

Monty Joynes
Boone, NC

Greetings,
I'm grateful this site exists for a truly remarkable being of light that has passed on beyond our physical sight. I worked with John here at Renaissance Unity. I did not know much about his life's history but I felt he was and still is a true spirit. I shared a commonality with John in the form of technology. John enjoyed technology. He respected it but didn't allow it to become the only enjoyment in his life. I remember he would come hobbling through the doors in the shipping area to show me the latest toys he purchased. In this case it was a remote starter system for his new truck. He'd stand at the door, press a button and his truck roared to life. His only dilemma was how to know the truck was running without having to go outside to see if it was running. If I knew John, he would have figured out a way. He enjoyed the use of his HP Laptop with the ability to play DVD movies and MP3 audio files. I know he enjoyed working to develop his website and to work with others in developing their presence on the internet. One of his greatest passions was "Celestine Prophecy" the movie. He just returned from Florida where the movie was shot. John sat at my shipping table and inserted the CD's he made of various stills of the movie, The locations, actors and crew members involved with shooting the film. He was impressed with the scene backdrops and how they came together to create a unique realistic backdrop for various shots. I enjoyed working with John here at the Church. He had a personality that was easy to get along with. He enjoyed laughter and always had some kind of amusing tale to share or was quick enough to turn a serious conversation into a humorous event that had us all on the floor laughing. I was shocked to hear of his sudden passing as were others here. What bothered me most was about this event was the fact he died alone. There wasn't anyone there to be with him. To John, I am grateful for the experience of knowing you, Sharing our love of technology and laughter together. Listening to your points of view and the way you lived life here one day at a time seemingly without regret. Your passing into another dimension was sudden. I'm not sure these words can convey how touched I was with your spirit. I know the dimension you dwell in now has become that much greater but your loss here is hard to take. God Bless you John Austin. Thank you for touching our lives.

Brian J. Zarek

My name is Jerry Robinson and I had the pleasure of working with John at Qualified Sports from 1986-1990. John was a very talented broadcaster and a very unique human being. He and I loved to stretch our vocabulary at times. If I could find one would to describe him it would be "iconoclastic". John simply disdained anything remotely conventional and was truly a free spirit. John may not have been religious in a strict sense, but was a very "spirit filled individual". He was always in touch with nature and his surroundings. He loved life and life loved him. He always searching for a "higher spirit". At last, he has found HIM and may he forever rest in perfect peace. Be well my friend, I will miss you.

Jerry Robinson

John, wherever you are is right where you're supposed to be, i can only imagine it's with the same light which walked with you while you were with us. the person you showed me you were was honest, composed, passionate, and awake. I'm so glad you and i were able to build a friendship in such a small amount of time and have it feel so genuine and authentic. i really got that you were living each of those admirable traits.

I must admit that when i first met you, i'd heard you and James were buddy buddy, so i was not expecting the hippy i'd first seen come thru those doors in St. Augustine. with your buddist beads and long hair i didn't know what to think of you at first. but i observed you as you did me and it took but one conversation with you to understand there was a good soul in you. we hit it off from there and it was as if i knew you my whole life and we had never skipped a beat. because you are that deep.

John has a way of looking at life that made me laugh, i knew he was in on this joke called "life" we make more serious than it is. he knew things we couldn't see and chuckled each time it passed in front of us. he was in on it, the bigger picture, and he loved being the one we would choose to help guide us to see it. quietly he sat and patiently he waited for each of us to come to him so that he could show us in such a simple way that by the end of the conversation you thought you figured it out for yourself. and he'd chuckle again because he was never intending to want the credit anyways. i get you John, i get you now more than ever. i'm gonna miss the days i could pick up the phone and call you, because you were always on the other side of that telephone being real to me, even when i wasn't, you were a mirror for me to see myself.

thank you for allowing me to know you and for sharing what you were to me and to others. i'll see you when it's time, till then, keep being wherever you are.

Peter Maez

Life on this earth is filled with the mysery, wonder and beauty of nature which you, John, truly appreciated. This same mystery, wonder and beauty abides in each of us and we think you had a wonderful way of seeing and appreciating this in those of us you encountered.

Both Lulu and I wish now that we had penetrated the mystery of your persona and had gotten to know you at a deeper level. You are loved and valued from our casual knowledge but I know we would have been even more enriched had we known you better.

So in your transition you have taught us that each moment we share with another person is an opportunity to learn more about the Sonship we both share. The deeper we relate the greater the probability that we will learn more about our shared identity.

We join in the celebration of your short but truly unique presentation of our Oneness.

Shelley & Lulu Richardson
Birmingham, Alabama

I didn't know John on a social level. I've known him for the last seven years because he had a mailbox where I work. He came in regularly when he lived in Birmingham and always stopped in after he moved away and would be back in town. I found him to be such an intelligent and interesting person, and I believe anyone who knows me very well has heard me speak of him. I especially enjoyed hearing that he had some dealings with a television station in Bluefield, WV, which happens to be my hometown. He spoke of the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway at night. He showed me pictures of his trip to Vancouver. It was apparent that he loved it there. He showed me pictures of the making of the movie. What an experience that was for him! In his 50 short years, I believe he led a very full life and touched so many hearts. I felt he was my friend and I regretted not having a single photo of him. Now I do. Thanks to all who had a part in creating this beautiful tribute.

Patti Wrenn

I first met John through James Redfield shortly after my second book, "Beyond Golf", was published. We became instant friends. I had played on the PGA TOUR and John had at one time covered the Tour as a journalist. But golf was not our only link. We discovered many others. No matter the subject---even when it was golf, my field of expertise---John would always end up teaching me something new. A new angle of thought, some new connection. He gave new meaning to things you thought you knew well. I admired his intellect as much as any man I've known, and I've been blessed with some great minds as friends. But the thing that struck me most about him was his incredibly objective compassion and kindness. Compassion for the human condition, and kindness for Everyman that just oozed out of his pores. He was unpredictable and yet always there, aloof and yet piercingly personal when you needed it. Every time James and I get together and head to the golf course, I always ask, "How is John Austin doing--what's he up to?" And James would fill me in. God how I'm gonna miss those updates. The last time we were together, at Kelly Redfield's wedding, he told me that his aim was to get to Vancouver. He loved Vancouver. I hope he's there, gliding over that beautiful place as a magnificent bird, taking it all in--the way he took us all in. John reminded me of Gurdjieff. When you met him he would take you into his palm, weigh you, and gently put you back. He would then treat you in the most appropriate way, but with his trademark kindness and compassion. John Austin was what Gurdjieff called a "remarkable man", and he was one of my treasured friends. I'm really going to miss him.

Larry Miller

GOODBYE TO A FRIEND
This first time I saw John Austin, he was sitting in the back row of the Unity Church in Birmingham, Alabama - a gentle guy with sharp, quick eyes, checking out the aspiring writer. I can't say we became friends right away, but I was aware of him. He was always involved with the church and always supportive in that unique way of his that gave you an affirmation, and then adding something else: sometimes a suggestion, sometimes a bit of humor to ward off a worry, and sometimes just a look to tell you he grasped the dream.

Our actual work together occurred a few years later when I was overwhelmed with the response to the Celestine Prophecy. He poked his head through the cloud of media confusion and suggested he should help me out. For six years he was at the apex of it all, sorting, coordinating, running interference, and doing it all with a style that won friends.

No one who crossed paths with John was untouched, as the outpouring of love at his passing demonstrates. For me he was more than a work-mate. He was the guy who knew something about a whole lot of things and could quickly find an answer to whatever bizarre question I threw his way. He was the friend who could give a spiritual twist to even the more mundane activities we both loved: golf, football, CNN on Sundays, and academic philosophy around the dining room table... long after everyone else had left.

Like so some many others throughout this journey, he came at the right time to "save" me, although I'm not sure I ever really told him how important he was... Maybe that's the personal message in this tragic occurrence. Don't let people get away without telling them what they've meant to you... Something I have to look at, once again.

James Redfield

I am stunned to hear that you are no longer with us :-(

There are two kinds of people in this world, givers and takers, and you were always one of the really big givers! Connecting with you was always fun. Your loving huge heart and cheerful generous nature made every conversation dessert...

Wow, I am really going to miss you my friend.

Arielle

We will all miss you, my friend. Arielle is right- you do have a big, sweet heart and I'm sure you are expressing love wherever you are. I will be listening to the wind...listening for your voice...

Cindy and I were remembering you last Saturday night. I looked up at the clock and the time was 1:11-your birthdate. At that moment, I had no doubt that you were with us.

Namaste, Precious One.

Jim Aycock

Be well John Winthrop Austin. Be well. I am so grateful you came into my life. Of course, I wished we had gone to a better restaurant on the 14th, but I insisted and you, as you often did, conceded. Good to see you started your blog. I am also glad you shared with me your "transitioning" experience, as you described it, and only wished I had been a better listener. I can only guess you wanted to return to that wonderful experience you described. But I will miss your John Austin hugs :>) !. Be well, my friend, forever.

Nedra

My husband John and I were fairly new to Unity of Birmingham when we first met John Austin; I remember most of all his sweet smile and his sometimes impish sense of humor. My John always greeted him by saying "Hello, my brother"----and John was indeed a wonderful brother to us all. His wisdom, his ready laugh, his warm hugs, his love for Unity of Birmingham make me smile in remembering him. We are all blessed by his life and his love.

Namaste, John.

Carole Rogers