Remembering Eve
A Mother's Wisdom and Love are Timeless
Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the passing of Eva Jean Bland, the mother of my beloved wife, Jane. I often feel Eve’s presence and am quite often overwhelmed with gratitude for this magnificent woman. Eve is, in many ways, one of the most important people in my life.
The 60th anniversary of a loved one’s passing holds deep meaning in Chinese philosophy, marking the completion of a cosmic cycle. In this tradition, time is not linear but cyclic, and after 60 years, the energies of Heaven and Earth return to the exact combination that were present at the moment of their death. This moment is seen as a powerful return—a chance to reconnect with their spirit, honor their memory, and reflect on how their essence has lived on in us and through their ancestors. It’s a time of remembrance and renewal, inviting us to ride the dragon of grief not just as loss but as a long journey of transformation and love.
In remembrance and renewal: My offering to my beloved ancestor Eve.
Born Eva Jean Bland in Temple, Texas, she went by Eve when she gave birth to my wife Jane in Ottawa, Illinois, in 1954. On this day, in 1965, when Jane was just ten years old, Eve died of cancer. As you might imagine, it was a devastating and defining moment in Jane’s life and one that led to years of pain and extraordinary suffering.
Still, and remarkably so, in those ten short years, Eve planted soulful seeds in the mind and heart of her young daughter that have taken root and thrive unto this day. Eve instilled in Jane a ferocious, unstoppable love of life, a compassionate optimism, and the values that guide Jane to this day. In a time and place of stifling institutional sexism and deep societal racism, Eve transmitted to Jane the importance of love, connection, and inclusivity as guiding principles.
Of course, I never met Eve in the flesh, but I know her well. Jane’s beloved mother’s loving wisdom lives on in her daughter, her granddaughter, and her great-granddaughters. The women of our family walk with her strength, think with her wisdom, imagine with her hopes, and breathe love into the world with her timeless spirit.
A deep bow of gratitude and love to you, my beloved ancestor Eve. Your life on Earth was tragically short, but the love and wisdom you shared continue to flow generously down through the generations.
.
The depth of your love I eternal .. I am grateful for you in my life .. Namaste 🙏❤️🙏
We hear "a picture is worth".....and I think of this as I see these exquisite and penetrating images of young, beautiful Eve, and oh, my, holding the hand of her daughter, lovely young Jane. Thank you. As always, Dan, I thank you, for what you initiate in the reader (me) with your writing, calling forth from my own core to do the same, honor, dig deep, remember, bless. May you and Jane and all of Eve's lineage be well, be safe, be happy, live with ease.