It is with profound sadness we inform MacDaddy's cherished fellow bloggers and followers, that the Daddy has passed on in the most peaceful manner at home surrounded by family and friends. We'll be adding more about our dear Mac but for now, leave you with a poem he wrote that summed up exactly how he lived and embraced his life fully since his cancer diagnosis five years ago.
JUST ONE MORE DAY
Tomorrow morn
Lord,
Let me live and know life for one more day
Just one more day
Let me wake to hurried neighbors revving cars
Racing to a closed-in office, chasing a rising sun
And sip smoking hot, black. fresh-brewed
from a Mickey's Diner cup
Reading the Star-Tribune, tasting buttered toast still warm
Tomorrow noon
Let me lunch on green salad, fresh fruit, green tea
with knowing companions
Plucking seedless, blue grapes from thick vines
Swapping warm smiles, tall tales and a joke or two
Tomorrow eve,
Let me dine on french bread, beef brisket, chilled wine
and a soft face
Nurturing hopes and dreams of a sweeter tomorrow
Grateful for your warm love and generosity in hearing me pray
Lord,
Let me life and know life for one more day
Just one more day
4 hours ago
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76 comments:
Oh, my God, Mac. To think of the loss all those will have suffered for not having had the opportunity to know you, read your words and feel your soul. I mourn their loss. But I celebrate our friendship. You were always on my mind; whenever I was feeling empty and disoriented and looking for inspiration, I would ask myself, 'What would Daddy be counseling?' I will ask that forever, until we meet again. That will be soon. And then you can tell me.
Blessings...
I am sorry for your loss, and the blogosphere's loss as well. We need all the voices we can rally.
Oh my God! I'm sorry for the loss of Mac Daddy. Though I never set eyes on him, I feel that I know him just a bit and I'm glad I got a chance to talk with him through this blog. I had no idea he was ill. He was so real and I'll miss his Listen ups! Blessings to his family.
Please accept my deepest sympathies. He was a brilliant voice on the affairs and issues that affect us all.
Rest in peace Mac
Oh, my God! MacDaddy, you will be missed brother. I will never forget the times that you helped me through some of my darkest moments. You were a blessing in my life, and I will never forget the words of encouragement that you always had for me.
As Vigilante said, "Until we meet again. That will be soon."
Rest in Peace brother. We'll all se you on the other side.
Blessings
I am speechless... And yet, I couldn't not be here.
I am so sorry. MacDaddy's friends and family are in my prayers.
He was kind enough to make a post on Date Rape,I have daughters and mentioned the subject. He followed through.
I can imagine how deep his loss is felt for those with the privilege to have met him, I am deeply saddened and only knew the gentleman online.
May He greet him in heaven and may He bring Mac'd friends and family peace.
Oh no!! This beautiful and gentle man. He will be sorely missed. I am without words.
Macdaddy! Wow! We never met but was I ever blessed to know you through the blogosphere (and in such a short time, too). I was so looking forward to knowing you better and having another big brother - and I believe I told you that! It wasn't meant to be, but I'm not going to be sad. In fact, I'm glad for the many words of encouragement that you offered to me! You really boosted my sometimes flagging confidence, and sent me alot of positive energy! I KNOW I TOLD YOU THAT, TOO!
People, one day not long ago, I had the urge to send a lot of positive energy and heartfelt words to Mac, and I'm so glad that I took the opportunity because I'd be feeling a lot of regret right now! And it had nothing to do with him having cancer because I only recently found that out! He was very supportive of me and I'm going to miss him!
REST WITH GOD!
MY BROTHA!
To be absent from the body is to be in the presence of the Lord.
It was Mac's time to move on. I really enjoyed reading his blog. I will miss his insight and wisdom.
My prayers and condolences go out to his family and friends.
I felt as if I knew, Mac. He just had that way about him, I think--welcoming, supportive. His poetry was wonderful. His counsel always on point. I will miss him.
Just devastating. A real intellect and forceful character has passed on.
As WH Auden wrote:
"Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come."
My condolences to Master Macarthur Walton's immediate family, and to us all.
-SJ
Mac Daddy
I'm shocked and saddened by this announcement. My condolences and prayers go out to Mr. Macarthur Walton's family and friends.
My guess is Mac Daddy wanted to focus on living and being in the moment. You wanted your work and not the illness to be your lasting memory. I think it goes without saying that you accomplished your goal.
You handled death the same way you conducted your blog: with grace and humility.
God bless you, I wish you peaceful journey.
Beautiful poem.
Sincerest condolences to all who loved him.
Hugs from the heart.
Dear MacDaddy bloggers, For those of you who did not know Mac personally, I just want you to know that he was one of the most gifted, intelligent, loving, knowledeable himan beings I have ever known.....We ;shared a beautfiul friendship for 16 years and I am going to miss him so much...I hope that one day we can gather the amazing legacy he has left on his blog....Let's go forward and continue in his spirit for the causes he deeply believed in.....
I also want ot thank you for reading and responding to his blog...It was his way of passing on his wisdom....It gave him great consolation in his final months....
May he slelep in heavenly peace at this Christmas time....
Oops! I forgot to say that i am THE NUN IN THE HOOD and i kept Mac on the straight and narrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have lost a true gentleman. MacDaddy was one of the first bloggers I connected with. He was always supportive and encouraging. He enlightened and educated us with in a positive way and was always welcomed our opinions even if we disagreed.
Words cannot express how deeply sad I am. My sincerest sympathy to MacDaddy's loved ones. Our blog fam will truly miss him.
Until we meet again, rest in peace, MacDaddy.
My sincerest condolences to family, friends, and readers alike on this tragic loss. He will be resting in God's memory until he will be awakened, free from the disease that has taken him away.
Fans of Mac, How beautiful these comments were! I wanted you to know that almost up to the end, Mac mustered every ounce of strength and sheer will to blog. Once he began a piece, he would stay on task -- often working through great pain and discomfort, and in need of food and drink. When one asked him if he needed something to drink or eat when he was blogging, he'd say with great urgency "just wait, wait, I have to finish this post." Ten minutes later, the same response. Mac had an intense, singular focus on blogging that kept his mind selectively focused on ideas and people.
When Mac was healthy, he lived for lively debate with friends at coffee shops or bars. But as getting out became more difficult, the blog filled an incredibly important function of providing Mac with purpose and intellectual stimulation. Rather than dwell on the reality of his illness, he to create and connect with others.
Thank you to MacDaddy fans for being part of Mac's blogging circle. Your participation in this blog gave Mac meaning and purpose through the most difficult days of his life. Mac made use of every day he had to the utmost. A lesson for us all.
Rest in peace, gentle "daddy."
Verna
My condolences to his family, may he RIP.
It's always sad when someone moves one from us, but we have the legacy of his writings. I didn't know the man, but i have drifted here a time or two and read today so many of his writings and enjoyed each an everyone. To his family and friends i offer my condolences and wishes of peace.
Thanks for your words, Verna. 'Xactly as I pictured it.
This is so sad.
Mac, you will be missed my brother, and i will always have a special place in my heart for you.
And thank you for the book, now I will have your words with me forever.
The is a sad day for the blogosphere and for humanity.
Goodbye my friend.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Thanks again to all of you. Your words are very comforting.
Funny, he's been on my mind the past three days a lot the past three days.
I'm not surprised he passed away because he told me he was terminally ill and quite sick in October, but did not want me tell anyone. We had just corresponded two weeks ago and he never let on that he was so much worse. I'm glad he left the world peacefully and among friends, and I know he was too.
Mac was so stoic, so focused in keeping the best of black culture alive. He will live on in this way. I treasure his book (and sooo glad he got it to publication this fall) and all the conversations we shared in the past year and a half.
To Verna, thank you for helping him toward the end, and to all his friends, he will be missed but not forgotten by those in cyberspace. I hope you never close his blog. You have my condolences.
So sad. Deepest Sympathies.
Take your rest, Strong One. I will miss your counsel, wit, strength and insight. I will never forget The Daddy!
My heart is heavy but reading all of the wonderful words gives me joy...Mac's passion was his writing--his ability to contribute to the world and to share as much of himself as possible through his poetry, his books, and his blog. Thank you all for being a big part of his life. And Nun in the Hood and Verna, thank you both for being there and loving him as friend and brother.
Patti, thank you for your kind words. They are comforting. I know he thought of you as part of our chosen family.
I wasn't a regular reader but Mac had a distinctive blogging style. My condolences to his family and loved ones, his voice will be missed.
You will be remembered MacDaddy. Thank you for what you gave... you made a difference in my life. Perspective became acute and bright in these moments... and I needed to have a new one. You have gifted it. I am comfort; I know you are not gone, just shifting from this world to the another. And there, we might yet, greet one another. My prayers to your family and close friends who mourn you at this vulnerable time. TY Verna, for letting us know... with love, GHB
My heart goes out to the family and friends. Please know that he and you are in my prayers. It's got to be harder during the holidays but don't let any one mute your cries. Grief is an honorable form of love.
Here's to a man and a legacy.
RIP....Once upon a time.......
We are Eddie and Mona and we have known Mac long years.....We made fried chicken and Spanish rice for him even though he was not to have it! What a great man the world has lost.....We loved him so much.....Mac took the place of Eddie's father, brothers and uncles....Our life was a whole lot better the day he walked into our lives....He helped us in our marriage.....We're together today after 17 years because of him.....
We love you and you will be missed....
I want to add my words to the many that have been written here.
Mac, I will miss you. The world is better because you passed this way.
When we come this way again, perhaps I'll know you face to face. Yet, knowing you solely through your words, and the things you were passionate about, had its compensations too.
I send my condolences and my prayers to all that love you, and all that will cherish your memory, in memory, and in their heart.
This is the saddest news of the week for me. Too bad I never met you in real life, Mac. I'm sure I'm not alone in the blogging community in wishing we could have had a long chat over tea or coffee in Minneapolis.
I am comforted in knowing you passed with the grace and dignity your blog's readers knew you had.
I only knew Mac from e-mails we exchanged, books he sent me and our blogging, but I have to say he was the first and only cyber personality I have ever felt a true loving brotherhood for.
His sincerity was so damn obvious and his feelings so clear in whatever he wrote.
Rest in peace Mac Walton. You made your mark.
Thank you all for your kind words and condolences. Many of you have been coming to Mac’s blog for so long you feel like family. Guess that’s what the blogosphere is all about.
Kit, we won’t be closing out the blog. There are many unpublished pieces to share and I know that Mac would want to keep the communication flowing. You’re right about Mac’s focus on black culture. He made that history come alive
and put the spotlight on so many unsung African American heroes. He believed a strong grasp of truth and history was uplifting and had a genius for keeping it interesting and relevant.
Just two weeks ago Mac was reminding his two fine physicians that he had work to do and needed their help getting back on task. Mac had just finished the work he is the proudest of – “What will it Take for Black Men to Heal?” -and was ready to go to final edit. He always kept the docs posted on his writing goals, the latest publication, the blues CD’s he was putting together, the trips taken and trips to come. His approach was to motivate his docs to keep him going so he could accomplish his goals. And they were wonderful willing partners to the end. We are so grateful for the role they played on his team. We look forward to sharing some pieces from the new book with you in the days ahead.
If I could sum up Mac’s philosophy in a few words it would be “Life is precious”. The corollary to that if he were having a not-so-good day was “Tomorrow is a new day”. Always the optimist moving forward…looking ahead. Mac said it best in this excerpt from “Miles to go before I Sleep ~Lessons in Living with Cancer Today”:
“Life is wonderful. Like other cancer survivors, I now know this one basic yet fantastic and immutable truth –that life is precious, and I feel blessed and grateful each day that I live to experience it.
Like other cancer survivor, I can proudly say—if not in words then through my actions—that in the wisdom of Iyanla Vanzant:
Life is:
A mystery. Unfold it.
A journey. Walk it.
Painful. Endure it.
Beautiful. See it.
A flower. Smell it.
A candle. Light it.
A gift. Open it.
Love. Give it.
Unlimited. Go for it.
Light. Shine on it.
Wonderful. Enjoy it.”
Wishing all the friends and followers of the Daddy many precious days. We will hold you in our hearts as we celebrate his life and journey on December 29th.
Blessings forever from MacDaddy
I had no idea Mac was sick. I posted his last email to me, which was his post on Porgy and Bess. I am going to miss my fellow blues traveler greatly.
God bless you Mac.
Tom Gary
http://bluesman2001.blogspot.com/2009/12/mac-walton-macdaddy-rip.html
RIP to him. What a truly genuine soul who gave much to all of us. My condolences to you all.
This is a tremendous loss for all of us. I'm going to miss his kind words, poems and his frequent visits to my old blog.
MacDaddy, thank you for being my friend and for your wise words on current events. I'm going to miss you.
This is very sad. I was a casual viewer of this blog. I did not know him as well as the rest of you, but his passing just made the blogsphere so much more real to me. We are all real people with important voices.
Thankfully, this blog will be here so that we can all remember him and his words.
Rest In Peace.
I'm truly speechless.
In all our exchanges over the years, Mac never mentioned having cancer.
I wondered why he hadn't been around lately.
Today I am sad. To his family and inner circle, please accept my deepest condolences.
I will miss your support, insight and intelligence.
Just goes to show how important the words are that we leave behind. Most if not all of his post made me heal in one way or another. Mr. Walton - Thanks for following my blog early on. May many men learn to lead as you have.
Condolences.
I resonated to MacDaddy's comments on The Vigil. He and I saw everything the same. If I had come to his site here before now, I would have seen how much more he saw, and how much more deeply.
May he be granted the paradise he so deserves
Wanted to stop in with condolences and also to celebrate a life well lived. Mac's words will serve as an infinite tribute inspiring each of us to continue to see the world through larger eyes, to stand up against injustice and to speak and live truth. We have lost a bright light. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
verna,
blessings to you and mac. you 2 were together in one way or another for what...30 years? through thick and thin. he touched many people with his wisdom and humor, and made many people think things they might not have thought..but one way or another, you 2 were in each other's 'chosen family' and i am blessed to have known you both for so many years.
love,
nan
Thanks so much for your kind words, Nan, and to all daddyBstrong followers.
Nan, you said it best:
"Today, there's someone new in town teaching the angels what great jazz, great conversation, great writing and great coffee have in common. Rest easy, Mac. it's All Right."
I'm not what you'd call that religious or spiritual. But I do know that The Vigil ain't going to be as smart a place, going forward, as it was when MacDaddy was around. The role of dropping the shoe everyone is waiting for will have to fall to someone else.
Mac was a regular at the Times Bar & Cafe when I worked there. I had the privilege of getting to know him while he sat at the bar, eating his dinner, writing, and talking. He was a wonderful man and will live on in those who were touched by his words and his actions. RIP Mac
To Mary Pat Gallivan, Thank you for responding to my comment, and it's wonderful to know that this blog will not be closed, and that he finished the final edit in his upcoming book, What Will It Take For Black Men To Heal?, will be published.
I look forward to seeing this mentioned in an upcoming post and reading it. Again, thanks.
It was such a remarkable gift to have known Mac through the blogosphere!
I am thankful for all of his support of my blog forum and for his kindness and support!
He will be so deeply missed!
I love you, Mac!! I'll see you again!
Kisses, Lisa
Lana, so glad you reached Mac's blog. Hope you can make it to the Celebration of Mac's LIFE next Tuesday @ 5pm (details in Sunday Star & Tribune) I know David will be there. We called the Times his "Cheers"
and he had the best seat -- just like Norm. He loved his friends from the Times and it was truly a home away from home for him. Always a big welcome and hug for him whenever he came through the door.
We should all be so lucky!
Thx.
I leave my condolences to the family in hopes this time of saddness will be lifted soon as we all send prayers to comfort you. I will say that I will be sad not to have ever met this man in person. He was intelligent, caring and gave the world a different insight on many things through his point of view. I know that Macarthur Walton is now having these amazing profound conversattions with his maker and loving every minute of it! R.I.P. MacDaddy and to the family, peace be with your souls and angels be near to wipe away the tears.
R.I.P. Mac....
I got to know Mac Daddy through his comments at The Vigil these last couple years but now I see we had even more in common with the focus on speaking truth to power. What a counselor and what an amazing effect he had on so many people!
I am saddened by the passing of Mac Walton, and he will certainly be missed in the blogworld. He was a brilliant writer and a wonderful man. He will be missed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the words of Mary Frye:
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He will live forever in my heart...
Hi, all.....We are busy preparing Mac's memorial service which will be at Ascension Church in North Minneapolis on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29 at 5:00 pm......We are having lots of music, people from the community who loved him speak, etc....Please be with us in spirit....also, check out the Star Tribune tomorrow; there will be a featured article...
This Nun in the Hood checked Mac's blog almost daily....It is so strange/so 'empty' to encounter his SILENCE......And yes, he will forever live in our hearts.....
Hello friends,
There's a wonderful article about Mac in today's
Minneapolis Star Tribune with several references to his blog:
http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/80242252.htmlelr=KArks:DCiUg4PaOEyPDiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr
Thanks for your words, Coleen, Akannie, Nun & Mary. At 3:00 P.M., my time, I will be pausing to be with you in spirit.
I will be with y'all in spirit 3pm PST as well. Wish I could be there in person.
Mac, your word will forever fill me with inspiration, truth, and the will to keep on keeping on... Rest in heavenly peace.
SjP
WOW
i will always remember you scholar, warrior and poet
Hello friends of MacDaddy,
We sent the Daddy off in the finest style. We all kept saying to each other that the memorial service indeed had Mac all over it and we felt his presence in the words of each speaker. His oncologist came to the service and greeted many at the reception speaking of Mac's quiet strength and how motivated he was by this very special man.
Mac would have enjoyed the day thoroughly. We also imagine he would have bowed his head in humility as his kind deeds, contributions and writings were recounted. Folks spoke of being motivated and uplifted by Mac. This happened to so many for so many years, the Minneapolis City Council issued a Proclamation ending with:
BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Minneapolis expresses its deepest gratitude to Mac Walton for his life of service and selflessness in the service of our citizens, and providing leadership that will live beyond the boundaries of his life through his writing.
And we were moved by the music Mac loved: Litany and Du Bist Die Ruh (You are Peace) by Franz Schubert...and some bring-the-house-down renditions of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come", "His Eye is on the Sparrow" and finally~ "O Happy Day". Yes, we sent him off with love and gratitude for the days we had on this plane and will wait for out time together in the next. If you would like a memorial card, email me @mpgirish@aol.com and I'll send it to you. Thanks again for all your wonderful comments about our dear Mac. Blessings to you all in the coming New Year.
I am truly shocked and saddened. Please pass along my respects. I just got back online from a long absence just to find this out.
I just found his blog a year ago and I had no idea.
I just found this in my feedreader. MacDaddy was a blessing to me as well; he reached out to me when I was in a dark place, and through his words I eventually found peace. I hope that I told him how much his kind words meant to me.
If Mac isn't in Heaven, it can't be much of a place, and I don't really want to go either.
To the family and friends of Mac, you will all be in my continued prayers.
Thank you Mountain Laurel...I remember you were among Mac's first few readers/followers and he enjoyed the exchange about taking blogging breaks, rejuvenating, etc. You were an inspiration to him as well! MP
Thank You For Noticin’ Me
Was it the way that he
Showed that he cared?
Was it the way that
He embraced us with his
Intellectual flair?
(The Daddy)
The Daddy said,
Brownsuga
Let down your “hair!”
(My poetry)
And let the world know about
Your poetical flair.
“Listen Up!
There is someone the Daddy wants you to know….”
MacDaddy, you hear me?
Thank you for noticin’ me.
© 2010
C. Thomas
a.k.a. brownsugatou
This short poem is not about me… but about a man who never knew how his very brief presence in my life moved and encouraged me to “write” on! I remember when I started my blog, Mr. Walton was my one and only fan… for a looong time but he inspired me to write on. No, I never posted a lot on Mr. Walton’s award winning blog but, as a reader his daddy strong.com was never short of being informative, educational, heartfelt, entertaining, humorous, and real… truth is I never felt so “well rounded” enough like Mr. Walton and the other great bloggers and readers that contributed to his award winning blog to provide a lot feedback. But like Jesus, I know Mr. Walton saw the good in everyone.
He e-mailed me months ago about featuring my poetry on his blog. “Modest Me” did not feel my poetry was all that… but one of his last posting featured my poem ( and I was moved then) So, last night I was looking for some quality blog content to read about the situation in Haiti… and I’m thinking I know Mr. Walton most definitely has some informative postings about Haiti with his own personal spin on it… Let’s just say, upon reading about Mr. Walton’s death… I cried just as hard as I cried when I was notified about my own father’s death…. I’ll repeat this again … “he never knew how his brief presence in my life moved and encouraged me.” Believe me when I say this poem wasn’t about me, but about an “awesome cat” who happened to notice me.
Rest In Peace Mr. Walton… may your spirit live on and through the lives that you have touched.
Brownsugatou, Thank you for sharing this beautiful, heartfelt poem with us. Mac would have loved it.
I am very sorry for your loss. May God bless you.
It is hard to believe that our precious Mac has been gone for a whole year!
I marked the aniversary with my dear cousin...We toasted mac, the legacy he left and shared heartfelt stories. I cannot help bu wonder what a blog about the Tuscon shootings or the Congress' repeal vot on health care would look like.....It's up to us, his colleagues and friends to 'speak the truth to Power' as Mac did....
Greetings to all from the Nun in the Hood.....
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