True friends are a rarity for some of us. When I talk of true friends, I am talking about unconditional love. You just know they are always there for you. No matter how far they live from you and no matter how long it has been since you’ve seen them, when you are together, it’s as if no time has passed. You are always connected.

Richard Morgan and his wife Joan are such friends. However, in this blog, I will focus on Richard who just made his transition on April 29, 2022. We knew he was leaving this earthly plane, and we were all prepared for it, but as many of us know, even when we expect death to come to one of our friends or family, there is still a shocking reality to it when it happens. That is how I felt when I heard the news of Richard’s passing. Let me tell you just a little about this special person and what he means to Patrick and me.

We came to the Science of Mind teaching in 1998 in Burbank California. I was new to the philosophy and it was my husband, Patrick that brought me to my first Science of Mind Center. I don’t remember exactly when Richard and Joan turned up on the scene, but there was a immediate connection between us. Although I always think of Rev. Dr. Marlene Morris as my first minister, I think of Richard as my first teacher. He was such a great teacher. We were in the Self-Mastery course with him and he saw Patrick and me immediately as Practitioners. He placed us in the Practitioner course of study within our first year of attending that Center. We shouldn’t have been in the class because we didn’t have all the prerequisite course work. “You can take that later. You are ready,” he encouraged us. I will always think of Richard as the person who set me on my road to being a Minister. He understood the difference between the ‘letter of the law, vs. the Spirit of the Law.”

In turn, we introduced Richard to acting. He found a role in all the plays I wrote at that Burbank Church, SpiritWorks. The role he relished the most was Nonna in “The Spumoni Chronicles.” Yes, he played Nonna – gray wig, black dress and all. Richard had a thick British accent, so we kept him silent the whole night. He was only allowed to give the silent Nonna stare and use hand gestures. It was a fundraiser for the church and the opportunity to dance with Nonna added much to the funds. Everyone wanted to dance with Nonna/Richard. Richard kept that black dress for a long time, always hinting we should do the play again. We did one more time and he, as we say in theater, “chewed the scenery.”

In 2012 when we called Richard and Joan, who now lived in North Carolina, and told them we were going to open a church on the Island of Kaua`i, they jumped in immediately as our Board of Trustees and gave us complete support. To this day, Richard was an Emeritus member of our Board. His wisdom and love carried us through the many tight spots in building a church.

Richard is pure love. He loved this life and his wife Joan so much. He loved his family. He loved us. He was fun and he loved to eat. As a cook, I love cooking for people who love food – all food. Richard was one of those persons. We enjoyed eating together. We’d all roll away from the table at our meals together.

However, beyond everything, Richard loved the Science of Mind teaching. He embodied the deep meaning of the teaching and lived it. He didn’t pass through this life without suffering and loss, but he stayed true to what he knew. God is everything and he addressed all his experiences from that place.

Richard, I love you. I will miss our dialogue, even when I couldn’t sometimes understand what you were saying through that thick Brit accent. However, I always caught the wisdom and the fun that brought solace and reason to stressful moments and Truth to times that were puzzling. I do know you are still here and I will seek out your guidance still. Fly, my friend. Much love until we meet again.

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Rita Andriello-Feren, Spiritual Director CSL Kaua`i, Spiritual Coach, Author

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