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This makes me smile so much! I hope it makes you smile, too...

Poetry, Art & Music

I think of myself as a prose writer. I wrote the occasional poem as a younger person, for school assignments, but it has never been my primary language. Yet I love - and I mean LOVE, memorize and sing - song lyrics of every genre, which of course are poems. And my senior project (for college graduation) incorporated a famous poem.

We were assigned a self-portrait as part of our graduation requirement. This came after I discovered that my fiance had been unfaithful; I had broken our engagement, was facing an unclear future and did not really know how to see myself. In addition, I had not gained great facility with watercolor painting (the favored medium in the art department at that time), so I had not the means to render an accurate self-portrait - but I used it anyway, which says something right there.

I decided upon an abstract composition; then, feeling it was raw and incomplete (which was in fact an accurate portrayal of my self-image at the time), I incorporated a photograph and a roughly hand-lettered fragment of a poem, because it is what came to me. It was not considered a great success by my professor, but it expressed my feelings at the time; even then, as a 21-year old fine art major, I could not suppress the urge to use language in my artwork. So perhaps there is more poetry in my soul than I know - perhaps there is in each one of us - expressed in a variety of ways, not always recognized outright as poetry.

I wrote a poem about the beach when I was a little girl. I remember - and can still see in my mind's eye - the exact place I pictured as I wrote it. I showed the poem to my grandmother, and was happily surprised to find later that she kept it in a drawer in her bedside table. I wish I knew where it was now.

Poetry has been on my mind lately for several reasons. Friends read, write and share poetry; poems appear on blogs and various other places online. I follow a caringbridge site which has exposed me to a wealth of absolutely gorgeous poetry, with which patient and family express their feelings at the end of each update. As a Core Team member of Field's End Writers' Community, poetry has come to my attention as a deep need in the community. Though perhaps not freely acknowledged in mainstream consciousness, poetry is all around us; it's a natural language of the human spirit. We seek poetry to express what may be unutterable in any other form, in our own words or those of others; this makes us feel less alone. Sometimes, these poems are set to music.

This beautiful fusion of music and poetry has been playing in my head for several days. It says a great deal to me about stopping, seeing, feeling, listening, hearing, speaking, silence and being. I hope you will enjoy it. (Video credit: YouTube)

Double Nickels

I turned 55 last week. To me, that's the "speed limit" birthday, but others have suggested that it also stands for "double nickels" - as you can see in the card I received from David:

On the morning of my birthday, Maribeth came over for a walk on "her" beach, and lunch in one of our favorite haunts...

...and then back to our house for a little "chill time" on the deck, and a quick visit with David and Gregg. Maribeth was the perfect "birthday presence," and I'm so grateful that she was able to spend it with me!

Late in the afternoon, our friend Linda arrived from Vienna. She was on her way to visit her family in California, and stayed with us for five days of fun.

Here we are at Burrata Bistro during my incredibly delicious (and oh-so-filling) birthday dinner...

 

...and this is the dessert tray which Burrata Bistro provided: blueberry tart, mocha creme caramel and tiramisu - with complementary glasses of port for everyone at the table!

Thank you, Kim and Alfonso!

Linda travels all over the world singing (her specialty is the operas of Richard Wagner). She was nominated for a Grammy award this year, and we enjoyed hearing all about her experiences at the ceremonies, parties and events surrounding the award show. Though she didn't win this time, it is quite an honor to be nominated at all - not to mention the privilege of attending the live concert, meeting and mingling with other artists.

We have a good time reminiscing about things we've done in the past, such as the time we went to the last concert given by the Commodores, before Lionel Richie went out on his own. We heard them perform in a small nightclub outside of Boston, with seats very close to the stage, and we were perhaps the only people not of African heritage in the club. And then there was the time I went to the church where Linda was a soloist, donning a choir robe, and standing next to her on the altar. I lip-synched along with hymns I didn't know, trying to be invisible. Not easy, standing next to the soloist, who happens to be about a foot taller than I.

On this visit, we went shopping for clothes and gifts, to the Pike Place Market in Seattle and to Port Townsend. We had our morning coffee together in the sun on the deck, barbecued dinners at home, and just relaxed. Linda had just come from an engagement in Seville, so it was good to be able to offer her a peaceful retreat by the sea.

You can tell that she and Gregg get along well...

 ...and share a sense of humor. 

She has known our kids since 2003, so she and David get on famously, as well.

My parents also love her, and took all of us to their club for dinner, after cocktail hour in their home.

On Monday, we went with my parents to Seattle to have a traditional (delicious) German dinner with a lovely couple whom Linda met when she sang in the Seattle Opera's production of Parsifal in 2003. Heidi and Hans are from Germany, adore Wagner's music and Linda's interpretation of it, and have become dear friends of hers - even traveling to Europe to hear her sing.

Here are Heidi and Hans with Linda on our deck in 2012 (my photos of the dinner at their house did not turn out well). We had a wonderful evening, and are so thankful to have met them through Linda. Music has the power to unite hearts across history, cultures, time zones and many miles.

All in all, a very happy birthday week, for which I'm grateful!

Blessed Be Your Name

I love this song. I loved it during the summer of 2006, when the sun was shining down on me, and the world was all as it should be - and I sang it through tears after Katie's diagnosis. It is a prayer that I still love to sing and pray.

 
Blessed Be Your Name by Tree63

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

Beautiful Lyrics

Our first-ever quilt delivery, 2008 (this photo was in the video)

In case you liked the song in the Seattle Children's Hospital video as much as I did, and were wondering who wrote and performed it, his name is Brandon Heath. Here are the lyrics:

The One

(Brandon Heath, Jason Ingram, Dan Muckala)

If I see one more light that’s fading

Hear about one more broken dream

Pray for just one more faith that’s dying

It’s one too many

And if I see one more child walking

Just one more mile for water

If I wait one more minute longer

It’s one too many

When I think of what could be

If we let our hearts believe

That it takes just one

Just one could turn this all around

And if we’re living history

How will they think of you and me

If it takes just one, just one

What if, what if, what if I’m the one

If I hear one more widow crying

‘Cause there’s no one by her side

If I see one more family breaking

It’s one too many

If there’s one thing that I’m sure of

If there’s one thing that I know

You could be one in a sea of faces

Or you could be one more chance for hope

I see a nation without any walls

A beautiful haven for one and for all

I see a day when people are free

When shackles are broken and fall to the street

A voice, a cry, call out from on high

The first one of many go lay down your life

© 2011 Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing / Big Skwawka Music (ASCAP) All rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing and Big Skwawka Music admin. by Sony/ATV. / Sony/ATV Timber Publishing / Windsor Hill Music (SESAC). All rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Timber Publishing and Windsor Hill Music admin. by Sony/ATV. / Wintergone Music (ASCAP) (admin. worldwide by Kobalt Music Publishing, LTD.)

My mom, Julie (childlife) and me during a quilt delivery

Rolling in the Deep

I know that this song has been played a LOT...but I admire whoever was the art director of the video so much that I have to post it here.

Who (of those of you who have been through a bad breakup) has not wanted to break china, dance like a dervish, beat on a drum set, sing at the top of your lungs, or set fire to something?

This is a work of artistic and emotional genius, in my opinion. Sing it, Adele!

The Music of Change

We drove to Gonzaga with David in caravan-style last weekend - he, with a friend, his bike and some things in his car, Gregg and I with the rest of his gear in my car. It was a five-plus hour drive (you may recall last autumn, when I posted about it here) including a ferry ride across the Sound, and a drive through the Cascade Mountains, Snoqualmie Pass, across the Columbia River & through the Columbia Basin to the "Inland Empire."

It's hot out there on the eastern side of the state - nearly 100 degrees last weekend - but dry, so you don't feel as if you're melting quite as rapidly as you would in a humid climate. We had a nice dinner in the setting sun on the patio of a restaurant, slept well (in spite of a mix-up with our room reservation), and got up to take a walk by the river before David awoke in the morning.

After breakfast, we helped him move into his new dorm, which looks very nice indeed. The building has many small study alcoves, a fireplace, with pool, ping-pong and foosball tables, cozy living rooms, well-equipped kitchens and laundry rooms. It is light and welcoming, and everyone we met was nice (which we find is typical for G.U.).

Once the work was done, Gregg, David and cousin Kim went to the golf course for a round of 18 holes. When they finished, we met at Kim's house for dinner with him and Mary, after which David went back to his dorm to continue getting settled. Gregg and I returned to the hotel for the night.

We met David briefly the next day to say "goodbye." It was a totally different experience from Freshman Orientation - he's a sophomore now, and he knows his way around; he has good friends, activities already in the works, and a rigorous class load this semester. David is far more confident and independent than he was as a freshman; we felt completely comfortable leaving him at school on his own.

Miles & David helping to prepare the boat on Argosy's Camp Goodtimes Cruise

The summer flew past, from my perspective. Apart from taking two vacations (to Arizona on his own and Tofino with us), David worked at least 40 hours most weeks, and needed his rest when he was not working. We are grateful that he had a good job with such a wonderful company as Argosy Cruises.

He spent time with a variety of friends, played as much basketball as possible, went kayaking, decided that he liked to relax on our roof when the sun was shining (!), read books, played video games, watched "Top Gear" and stayed up until all hours. Gregg and I found some of his new ways a bit foreign.

I believe that my parents used to call this phenomenon "re-entry." It's quite normal; Gonzaga's website even addressed it last spring, as the school year was ending. I remember having re-entry issues with my own parents, after living out-of-state during my college years.

We allowed David a great deal of independence, understanding that he had grown accustomed to making his own schedule and decisions...and that he had his priorities at the age of 18, which are obviously different from those of a couple of 50-something parents. We loved being with him when it was possible.

There were days when I felt very sad for David's loss of his sister, his closest companion.

I know that, if she had lived, they would have different interests and friends by this time; I know that it isn't our fault that she passed away.
Yet I couldn't help feeling that his life was so much richer when he wasn't the "only child" living at home. I wish Katie was still here for so many reasons, and one of those reasons is for David's sake.

2004 Piano Recital

On his last day at home, David took a break from packing, came downstairs and began spontaneously to play the piano. I nearly wept, hearing him play again. David and Katie took piano lessons from an early age, and David took to the instrument naturally and diligently; he did not need to be pushed to practice. I used to sing along with him sometimes, as he played songs that we both know and love.

2004 Piano Recital

February, 2006 Piano Recital

February, 2006 Piano Recital

As David's hands moved over the piano keys on his last day at home this summer, nostalgia for those years when he and Katie were taking lessons swept over me. The simplicity of those times, our joy in their learning to play the instrument, the memory of what it was like to be an intact family, came through the music flowing from my son's fingertips. I sang along with him. I savored the moment, the memories, and prepared to let him go...again.

We are deeply thankful for the gift of David in our lives, and the joy of his presence.

*Wishing all students and teachers a happy, productive and blessed school year!*

What's the Antidote?

What's the antidote to grief?
I don't know...but this week, it's Keith Richards' autobiography, "Life," and a bit of his fabulous guitar-playing. What a fascinating character.

Just the opening bars are enough to make me smile, and "start me up."
If you're still feeling dark, there is always that eerie opening of "Gimme Shelter:"


I often forget that I heard them in concert in Seattle on their 1975 tour. I wasn't a fan, then; I was invited by a friend, and I love live music, so I went. We were young - in high school, sophomores or juniors - and it was a bit of a rough crowd, for the time. I remember seeing an aspirin tin, stashed in the fanny-crack of the guy in line in front of us, as we waited to get into the Coliseum. That was a first, for clean-living, little old me.

But the real eye-opener that evening was when a man-hole cover opened up on stage, and out floated a long, pink balloon. Mick Jagger rode that thing and worked it while he sang. I was astonished enough to think, "Is that...? No, it can't be!" But it was. And it got them into some trouble, apparently.

What a crazy bunch of iconoclastic dudes. It's incredible that they are still alive and making music, after all they've been through.
Thanks for lifting my spirits this week, Keith.

"Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD." - Psalm 98

The Doors

I was recently given the gift of a beautiful poem that is filled with wisdom. One of the joys of having a blog is that I get to share it with you here.

"Allow

There is no controlling life.

Try corralling a lightning bolt,

containing a tornado. Dam a

stream and it will create a new
channel. Resist, and the tide

will sweep you off your feet.

Allow, and grace will carry

you to higher ground. The only

safety lies in letting it all in --

the wild and the weak; fear,

fantasies, failures and success.

When loss rips off the doors of

the heart, or sadness veils your

vision with despair, practice

becomes simply bearing the truth.

In the choice to let go of your

known way of being, the whole

world is revealed to your new eyes."

- Danna Faulds, from Go In and In

This could be a description of the past four years of my life.

It reminds me of a documentary about the American band of the 1960s, The Doors. (I had a crush on Jim Morrison, back in the day. He was so sadly strung out on drugs, but he had so much raw talent, beauty and sensuality. The fact that he died in his 20s is a tragic waste; I always think of him, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin together, a trio of lost artists of 1968.)

From Wikipedia: "The band [The Doors] took its name from Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception,^[4] the title of which was a reference to a William Blake quotation: 'When the doors of perception are cleansed, things will appear to man as they truly are...' "

I am engaged in a book study with three friends, and the title of the book is "Open the Door - A Journey to the True Self." Doors of perception cleansed, doors of the heart ripped off, doors to true self opened. I'd call this confluence of poetic doors a blessing.

My blogging friend Mary of Landing on My Feet posted another powerful poem by this same author today. Follow the link if you would like to read more.

The Power of Love

I've been thinking of my friend, Elizabeth, who writes so beautifully at a moon, worn as if it had been a shell. Her words makes me reflect deeply, which is something I love in my friends.

Lately, I've been taking my iPod Shuffle with me when I walk.  I usually try to pray when I'm walking, but I decided that I was getting too serious recently, and that listening to music would help me to rejoice in the moment, and lighten up. It does - and it's a gift from God, so it's a kind of prayer, I suppose.

My iPod used to be Katie's iPod, before she (and David, each) got an iPod that is like a little TV. I can't recall the name of it, but it was a big upgrade for them, and when she realized that she wouldn't need her old Shuffle, she generously gave it to me. I love it, for that reason. Gregg has her other (fancier) one, but it's too big for me, and I wouldn't know what to do with it.

I was listening to music today while I walked, and a number of songs came on that I haven't heard in a while. They made me think of current events, which brought Elizabeth to mind, and her sensitive thinking about what is going on in the world. Here are the two songs:

"New Hymn" by James Taylor

and "The Power of Love" by Luther Vandross.

One song tells of the writer's perception of the nature of God (not necessarily mine), the dangers and troubles that we can face (and can cause) in this life, and of hope.
The other tells of one simple certainty: the power of Love.

In light of all that has happened recently - the oil spill in the Gulf, the depredations of war, international aggression, financial "reverses" (as my Nana used to call them), difficulties facing loved ones - and those we don't even know - these two songs seemed to "bookend" life today.

Ps. 4:2-3, 4-5, 7b-8

(7a) Lord, let your face shine on us.

When I call, answer me, O my just God,

you who relieve me when I am in distress;

Have pity on me, and hear my prayer!

Men of rank, how long will you be dull of heart?

Why do you love what is vain and seek after falsehood?

R. Lord, let your face shine on us.

Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one;

the LORD will hear me when I call upon him.

Tremble, and sin not;

reflect, upon your beds, in silence.

R. Lord, let your face shine on us.

O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!

You put gladness into my heart,

more than when grain and wine abound.

R. Lord, let your face shine on us.

Michael Buble

This is totally out of order, but so is my life, nowadays...

We were graciously invited to attend the Michael Buble concert here in Seattle (and I thought for sure I had posted about that, but I can't seem to find it).

So, here are the photos of Gregg and me. We were having a great time with Laura, Tom, and a group of friends.

Yes, Mom, that is gum in my mouth. We ate Mexican food before the concert. Enough said.

I just have to say it.

My husband is so cute...and those BLUE eyes; ooohh. They got me the day I met him, and they are still beyond beautiful.

Elton John and Billy Joel

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being invited to attend the Elton John-Billy Joel concert in Seattle. It was a surprise, and it came at exactly the right time - I was having a terrible week, and the opportunity to dress up and go out was just the right thing.

I wore this top:

which my friend, Linda, talked me into buying two years ago.

Note: It's not Gregg's favorite, but Gregg wasn't going with me. It's not a color nor a style which I would normally wear, but Linda was insistent, and she was right. (She also talked me into buying a gorgeous Asian jacket on another visit, but I don't have a photo of that one.) Suffice it to say, Linda knows her wardrobe; she is a professional singer, who travels all over the world, performing with (and as one of) "the best."

I also wore some great jeans and very high-heeled boots; I felt like a million bucks.

And Sir Elton? He sounded like a million bucks. I had heard him in concert two or three times during his "Captain Fantastic" phase, and he gave just as good a performance 30+ years later! He is a true professional.

Billy Joel was good, though his music and his demeanor are not my favorite. He is a talented keyboardist, and his band is awesome.

The combination of the two great pianists, with concert grand pianos facing one another on the stage, was almost overwhelming in positive energy. You could feel the bass pounding in your chest. The lights and projected images enhanced the experience.

It gave me a great lift, and reminded me how much I enjoy many different kinds of music. I'm so thankful I got to experience this concert.

Thanks again, Laura, Tom and Rich!

Music Speaks to the Soul

I am having a crazy-busy week. It might not seem so compared to the lives of some of you, but it does to me. I am working on a number of things, and I don't seem to multitask well any longer.

This makes me feel like I am fragmenting into many pieces, and flying in several directions under centrifugal force. I am not sure I am getting anywhere in a linear sense, but I am getting somewhere in an energetic sense.

Taxes. Financial aid paperwork. Financial planning. Volunteer applications. Writing. Guild work. Sewing. Travel planning. Laundry. Cleaning. Telephone follow-up. Email follow-up. Mail follow-up. Paying bills. Brainstorming. Resource-gathering. Praying. Reading. Listening. Setting appointments. Attending appointments. Haircut.

The one thing that is calm right now is music.

Last night, Gregg, David and I went to hear Itzhak Perlman perform with, and conduct, the Seattle Symphony orchestra. The evening was "Mainly Mozart," which is a series offered by the Symphony each year. We bought tickets to 3 concerts, and in doing so, we saved money. We also got to customize our series. It's fun to do, because we sit together with the catalog and ask one another what music and performers we most want to hear in the coming season; then we put our own package together. We allowed David to choose for us this year.

Last year, we signed up for 3 concerts, and on one of the occasions, a performer had to substitute for the headliner. Fortunately, the sub was SUPERB. I mean, he moved us deeply with his mastery of the violin...and he was playing a Stradivarius!

As we listened to the gifted Mr. Perlman last night, I was struck by the differences between his playing and the young artist we heard on the violin last year. I thought, Perhaps this is what would be the difference between making love with a man in his 20s and a man in his 60s. The young man played with strength and sensitivity, passion and energy. His performance was kinetic and breathtaking; it was awe-inspiring. By contrast, Mr. Perlman played with such innate knowledge and experience as to make his performance look nearly effortless, like an extension of his breathing and his being. So deep is his awareness and understanding of the music - and the instrument - that he appeared to be one with them both. He seemed to be participating in the music, rather than creating sounds. The word "maestro" comes to mind, in a full and complete sense.

As I was listening to the music, I recalled a clip that I saw last week of the Gospel singer Wintley Phipps, speaking about music as a universal language, and about God's work in his life. Mr. Phipps was speaking on the set of the upcoming movie, "Letters to God," which will be released in April. Please, if you have a few minutes, watch this clip and hear his voice. And if you are ready to be moved, watch the trailer for the movie. I have shed tears over both of these clips. There are several others on the movie's site under the tab, "On-Set Devos" that are inspiring and worth watching. I hope to have more news for you about the movie's premiere soon.

Music is a gift in our lives. I am so thankful that there are artists who are willing to work to create such beauty and inspiration, and to share it with others (like our friend Linda Watson, who is an opera singer). And I am thankful for the privilege of hearing Mr. Perlman last night, and sharing it with David and Gregg.

"Sky Blue & Black" (Jackson Browne)

Though this song is about a breakup, it says (particularly the last verse) so much of how I feel about Katie's death. I have played - and sung along with - this song hundreds of times since she passed.

The above video contains a clip of Browne, explaining what the song means to him. If you like it, here is another version of it:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoWsrECE6w

Edits, Guild News and A Christmas Tree

My parents were here for dinner tonight. My dad read the posting in which I wrote about the ferry, and he had comments to make about the photos I posted.

He wants me to tell you that, in addition to building the cabin, he built that log bulkhead himself.  He also wanted me to post a photo of their house as it is now (after the cabin was remodeled), so here it is:

That is not the bulkhead he built; it is a replacement, made of rock, instead of logs. They added a dock later. A bunch of us can be seen on the deck on the right side. He has a vegetable garden and flowers, of which he is very proud, as well.

Since you asked, the performance of Handel's "Messiah" was a fantastic experience for us. Before the concert, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Smileygirl and her husband at one of our favorite restaurants:  Cafe Campagne. Then we walked to Symphony Hall (a.k.a. Benaroya Hall), and took our seats near the back of the main level. The music and singing were sublime. SUBLIME. I thought, This must be what it's like when you are dying, and you awaken to find you are not dead, but crossing a threshhold to a new, perfectly beautiful reality. I hope I hear music like that when I'm crossing over. I love musicians, and am in awe of their dedication and artistry.

Unfortunately, there was a couple of WHISPERERS sitting behind us. They were seated a couple of rows behind us, and many seats to the left, but they were WHISPERING loud enough to disturb us.  Voices and lots of dramatic hand gestures were interrupting the singing and instumentals of one of the most sacred pieces of music I've ever heard. I looked at the usher; no response. I looked at the WHISPERERS; no response. I wondered what Jesus would do, since the concert was really about Him. I tried to forgive; I got angry; I re-focused on the message. I got angry again; I went back to the message. I think it was kind of funny, to be attempting to focus on Jesus and the message about his life, while being irritated beyond belief during the concert. 

Please, if you attend a concert, and feel an overwhelming need to talk in the middle of it, LEAVE the AUDITORIUM. Whatever you have to say can either wait, or should be said elsewhere. But none of you need to hear that from me; you would never do such a thing!

Since you've asked, here is what this year's tree looks like:

On Monday, I had the privilege of driving to meet a member of another Seattle Children's Hospital guild. Joanne generously donated her time and talent to make two quilts for Katie's Comforters Guild, and then drove half an hour from her home to meet me, and give them to me, so that I can donate them to the hospital. Here is Joanne with her beautiful quilts:

There is more good news coming about Katie's Comforters Guild; I will update you on the Guild's blogspot soon. Meanwhile, Happy Christmas Eve to everyone, and Merry Christmas Day! May your heart be filled with the peace and love of God, through the gift of Jesus to the world.

Beautiful One

(I know Jeremy Camp sings this, too, but I love this version).

I'm not a big fan of "Christian rock music," but I bought a CD with this song on it a looooong time ago, and now, for some reason, I love it.

I sing it really loudly in the car when I'm alone. It makes me cry almost every time, but I still love it.

A Broken Hallelujah

This song sums up the way life without Katie feels on some days, and today is one of them.
It was posted by Gannet Girl, whose son passed away a year ago today. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

I Can't Stop Singing This Song

I can't stop singing this song...I have nothing against UAL (some of my friends work there), but the story is so well told here, and the tune is so catchy...

A Wonderful World

Yesterday, as I was dropping David off at the ferry (he takes a ferry and an Argosy boat to get to work), he made a comment that I have to record. He knew that I was going to attend Gunnar's memorial service later in the day, and here is what he told me:

David: Mom, try not to get too stressed out about this memorial service. Life happens.
Me: Apparently. Death happens, too.
David: As Zucchero says, "I'll tell ya brother, Man, sh*t happens."

This conversation was strangely comforting and sweet, to me. He was concerned, but not hovering. His acceptance of the things that go on in this world is beyond his age. I could not have imagined him possessing this calm equilibrium, a few years ago. Of course, a few years ago, I couldn't have imagined that Katie would get cancer, much less that she would die from it. But she did.

"I'll tell ya brother, Man, sh*t happens."

Here are more of the lyrics to the song. It's on the album Zucchero & Co., which I HIGHLY recommend.

A Wonderful World (with Eric Clapton)
lyric: Zucchero - F. Musker

"I tell ya brother, man shit happens
by the way, howzit with you?
Check out the kid, finger on the button
oh yeah, it’s a wonderful world, huh
When every night, things are getting grimmer
And all your dreams seem dumb and absurd
You need a light, shinin how to tell you
Oh yeah, it’s a wonderful world
I’ll be leaving in the morning
Far away from you, yeah
Somedays you have to take a jump in the blue
Nothing endin’ my depression
Nothing
It’s commin’ oh my obsession
It’s commin’
Don’t make it bad if you have a vision
You’ll never need to follow the herd
Pull the chain down goes the water
Oh yeah, it’s a wonderful world
When everything is closin’ in
Try to see the use
Yes , I’m taking that step
I’m gonna jump In the blue
Nothin’ endin’ my depression
Nothin’
It’s commin’ oh my obsession
It’s commin’
I’ll be gone with the morning sun
Far away from you
But somedays you have to take
A jump in the blue
Take a jump in the blue..."

If You're Over 40 and You Need a Laugh...

...check out this link:
http://www.elwp.com/Joe%20Cocker.html

Laurie of Keller's on the Prairie posted this a couple of days ago, and I just got to watch it this morning; I laughed until I cried. I just watched it again, cried again, and my stomach hurts from laughing.

As Laurie suggested, it's best to go pee before you watch it. If you can't remember Woodstock, you might not laugh as hard as I did. It's still worth it for the captions. Joe Cocker is one in a million.