This episode is dedicated to Gwen and to her family, especially her daughter Patricia and her Granddaughter Leila, who she spoke of so fondly and with so much love and pride. It’s also dedicated to the community of decency and love that she built and that will go on in her memory as long as we stand by Gwen’s principles.

My favourite author, Sir Terry Pratchett once wrote the following lines: “No one is dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence.”

It’s now up to us to keep the water rippling, to make sure the clock is always wound, and that we continue to seed the fields with decency, as Gwen taught us, so that the harvest may be reaped by future generations. In that way, like her beloved Tom Petty, her life will continue to have meaning. And though her light is now dimmed, her legacy will continue to shine brightly in the years to come, because love is always reflected back from the people you send it to. And Gwen radiated enough love to fuel the birth of a new star.

Thanks for your friendship Gwen. I’ll remember you always.

—

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All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com/

Logo provided Ed Booth, who you can find here: https://edboothart.com/

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A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, Conversations with Tom Petty, this podcast wouldn’t be nearly as much fun to research.

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