Beautiful
I went to A's Thanksgiving service this am. It was a very beautiful. Her two sons played pieces, one on the violin and one on the piano. But the best thing was that they played A. herself, singing a requiem she recorded some years ago. Her pure, amazing soprano voice just soared up into the sunshine that was streaming into the church. It was a wonderful moment. I'm so glad R has that recording. So few of us have any trace of a loved one's voice after they've gone. Although I can remember playing my brother's answer machine message over and over for a while after his death. He used to sing very cheeky versions of big gay idols songs. And my grandad left tapes from interviews he did with the Imperial War Museum about his war years, he fought in WWI and WW I and I like to play one of them from time to time - partly because his type of Scottish accent is fast disappearing and partly because it's him, and I can see him helping me use his tools to make wooden driftwood boats that always sank like a stone because I wouldn't listen to his advice.
Seeing those big lanky lads without their Mum really tore me up, but A achieved so much in her life that it was hard to be sad for long. She's really inspired me to go on getting on with my life.
Tomorrow is the writers' group concert/reading. We did a run through last night with the musicians. It's going to be wild to say the least. I don't think I'll be repeating the exercise, public performance is just not my thing. Then Friday I may go to a big garden festival in Edinburgh and on Saturday I'm photographing a running race.
Seeing those big lanky lads without their Mum really tore me up, but A achieved so much in her life that it was hard to be sad for long. She's really inspired me to go on getting on with my life.
Tomorrow is the writers' group concert/reading. We did a run through last night with the musicians. It's going to be wild to say the least. I don't think I'll be repeating the exercise, public performance is just not my thing. Then Friday I may go to a big garden festival in Edinburgh and on Saturday I'm photographing a running race.
posted by apprentice at
2:28 pm
2 Comments:
i take it that a Thanksgiving service is the equivalent of a memorial service? if so, i like that term. it's very appropriate.
right after my mother died, i played her voice mail a few times, but found it too painful to listen to it. however, now, i'd be nice to have.
Yes it's the same thing, although today for some reason they had the funeral at the crematorium before the Thanksgiving/memorial service. Usually there's the funeral and a bit of time elapses before there's a memorial service. But i think these days people do what feels right for them, and lots of people had travelled for this service, so maybe that's why it was all on one day.
I know what you mean about wishing you'd kept your Mum's voice messages,when we're grieving it's hard to know how we will feel when some time has elapsed and sometimes the technology changes too fast as well.
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