Born: May 9, 1944
URS: January 22, 2004
Peace and Blessings of God and all the illuminated souls be with Halim Welch. May his journey be one of unity with the Beloved.
I haven’t seen Halim in many years, but I have many fond memories of him dming Murshid Sam’s lifetime and in the years following. He offered service to Murshid genuinely and steadily when many of us hadn’t yet lisen to really embodying the ideal of service. My most vivid memory of Halim is from the time that Murshid Sam fell down the stairs at the Mentorgarden in the middle of the night in an accident that would lead to his passing on a few weeks later. Halim had come in from Marin for the meeting the previous night to help with music I believe and was sleeping as a guest in the front room. My room was light across from the bathroom at the head of the stairs. At about 2 am I was awoken by an ominous sounding thud; I can still remember the feeling of being paralyzed by that sound, and I lay there for a moment in shock. Then I heard Halim rushing from the front room to reach Murshid where he lay on the landing below. That was so Murshid-like, to follow the impulse of compassion in the moment and not be clippled by fear. I joined him a few seconds later and we began the process of dealing with this staggering new situation.
My prayers are with Halim now and with all who knew him, those who could come to this memorial service and those who could not.
Love,
Wali Ali
MY THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ABOUT HALIM
By Kalima Inayat (formerly Hayat Asha)
I was deeply saddened to hear of Halim’ s passing, and at the same time relieved that he is now released from his earthly burdens. I am also very, very grateful that he had a strong, healing presence and support around him during his illness and passing in the form of cherished long-term female friends.
Those of you who knew Halim surely knew that he was full of memories and stories about the past – especially about the early Sufi Choir, the early days of the Ruhaniat, and about Murshid S.A.M. You probably also know that he liked to tell stories, and that he was a pretty good raconteur. I used to tell him that he needed to write a book to preserve those memories for all of us. Some of the stories were probably embellished a bit, however, I noticed that they were pretty consistent over the years and for the most part, they were probably pretty accurate. He had a unique way of bringing things richly alive. Regrettably, those memories, often inspiring and some pretty funny, have now gone with his soul to the ethers.
I met Halim in early 1976, and always felt a strong heart connection. He was one of those friends whom you felt you could just pick right back up with no matter how long it had been since you’d seen him.
My prayer for you, good buddy Halim Francis: rest your soul, drink deeply of the Inner Well and know that you are Loved.
