ju s t o u t ▼ J a n u a ry 2 0 , 1 9 0 9 ▼ 13
moment, Ariel stopped everything and sincerely
apologized for breaking Sheyna’s confidentiality
by telling us what she had communicated to Ariel.
Sheyna put her head back in Ariel’s lap and they
continued...
From that day on, Sheyna’s behavior changed.
She has remained more mellow and secure in life
and always connected to Ariel.
Paddy Lazar
Portland
I carry her in my heart
1 was greatly saddened to hear of Ariel
Waterwoman’s death. A waterwoman, however,
knows in this life and the next that there is no
separation: The basic goodness in all things sus
tains us and preserves us. Ariel is in the arms of a
great and powerful energy, and she is dancing, and
she loves us.
I shall never forget submitting an obituary past
the deadline. She came around the counter and
hugged me, asking if I was OK going home alone.
Her compassion brought me through some diffi
cult days.
I will miss Ariel’s presence in our community,
but I carry her with me in my heart and mind.
\
I know that if Ariel was here right now , she would want to
give to others a Pitcher of Love and remind them it was
never empty and always full. She would say to them that if
anyone ever felt alone and unloved, they would only have
to say her name, Ariel Waterwoman, and she would be
therefor them and love them forever.
Dolph Schreck
Portland
The language of puppies
I found out when I read it in The Oregonian,
over fries and a Coke. My heart felt a mighty
“Ouch!” and my eyes became buckets as I wept in
the comer of BurgerVille.
Ariel— a mystic, a magical imp who knew the
secret language of puppies. A soul filled with
power, beauty and unspeakable kindness (even to
strangers). I was shocked by your thin, gaunt
appearance the day you suddenly appeared at the
Waldport coffee house where I worked last sum
mer. I hoped the pain wasn’t too bad, and that your
trip to the seashore was a soothing tonic. I am so,
so sorry you had to leave. I hope that St. Peter
greets you at the gate with a zoo-full of animals,
and that they’ll all know you by name. Bless You.
Beth Hamon
Portland
Bearer of the flow of life
I had the good fortune to have worked closely
with Ariel over the past year. I saw many sides of
Ariel and felt blessed to have known her and have
been a part of her life.
In the time that I knew Ariel, I saw her grow
— Mark J. Bans
tremendously. Instead of giving up, like many
might want to do in her situation, I saw Ariel
challenged by her disease, and Ariel took that
challenge. She faced her disease with determina
tion and courage, and, when she died, she died
with honor and with a clarity of mind that left her
peaceful and resolved, knowing that she had done
all that she came here to do.
Ariel died having fully learned her gift, her
purpose, and her lesson in life.
Her purpose was to love people (including
herself) who did not think that they were lovable,
and she became so accepting of everyone that she
allowed them to love her in return.
Her lesson was to learn the difference between
humility and humbleness. Humility has to do with
shame and lack. Humbleness has to do with the
simplicity of life and who we are.
Her gift was to be the Waterwoman, or the
Bearer of the Flow of Life, which is Love.
I will miss Ariel. I will miss her smile, her
laugh, her childlike innocence that I came to love
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and know. When she died, she had made the best
of her disease and had become a truly transformed
human being. She died a beautiful being full of
light and love. I hope that she will be an inspira
tion to us all.
I know that if Ariel was here right now, she
would want to give to others a Pitcher of Love and
remind them it was never empty and always full.
She would say to them that if anyone ever felt
alone and unloved, they would only have to say
her name, Ariel Waterwoman, and she would be
there for them and love them forever.
Mark J. Bans, D.C.
Portland
Oregon queer press’ loss
Ariel Waterwoman’s death Jan. 3 is the third
major loss to Oregon’s queer press in less than a
year. Unlike the foldings of The Alternative Con
nection and The Lavender Network, however, the
loss of Ariel to cancer is one from which there is
no reprieve. Papers come and papers go— but
journalists like Waterwoman are irreplaceable.
The presses continue to roll; the unique contribu
tions and insights of the individual are lost for
ever.
Ariel’s willingness to use her editorial powers
to provide a diversity of opinion in the pages of
Just Out epitomizes newspapering at its best. If
we would honor her memory and preserve her
contributions we would do well to guard the queer
press from further losses and work to provide ever
greater access to the disempowered.
As a new spaperw om an, even if A riel
Waterwoman didn’t agree with another’s opin
ion, she understood the importance of that opin
ion being heard. If we remember her for nothing
else, we should remember her for that.
Margaret Deirdre O ’Hartigan
Portland
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