Memory and Friendship

Went to a Celebration of Life today. Rather, a funeral service without the body or ashes of a colleague and friend. She had passed away last Friday from leukemia and there never was any good moment to have a great big all out cry. Either we had guests or there was school. The timing just never seemed right.

So, I waited for today. My friend Eileen said that these Celebrations never really allow her to get her cry on and for that reason she dislikes them. She said it was a purely selfish reason. I was able to introduce myself and my husband to her son and daughter in law (although I had met them before in the hospital). As we were walking to the actual Celebration, I started talking with a former teacher who is a friend I haven't seen in quite a while. She held out her arm and said, "I wore our wristband." I nodded. And then I realized I hadn't a clue what she meant by that. So I asked, "What wristband?"

"Don't you remember? From Bok Tower? When we went with Mo on a road trip?"

And all of a sudden I felt so happy because here was a memory that I had completely forgotten. One great day when the three of us took a summer road trip and meant it to be just a morning lunch thing, but we didn't get home until after 5. Earlier in the week Fred had asked me what stories I had of Mo and I couldn't come up with a really good one. Now I had one whole day.

Of course there were many moments with her. Lots of memories. Lots of wonderful times and times when she was exasperated with kids during retreats or at graduation. And it will be very strange now to go to our graduation and not have her there to run it. To not have her there to sing the march for us to walk to our places. To not have her tell US to be quiet. 8-)

And when the pipe and drum corps played Amazing Grace I had my good cry, even though it was a Celebration of Life. So Eileen was wrong.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Tears

I'm watching the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with my husband, which is interesting because he has completely different likes and dislikes in music than I do. But we do find some common ground.

It is kind of cute for him to say, "Oh man!" when Crosby, Stills and Nash start singing, meaning they sound so good they gave him a chill. 8-) But they didn't sing the song he wanted them to sing. Right now Bonnie Raitt is tearing it up. Makes me wonder why I haven't played her CDs in such a long time. We went to her concert and she was simply wonderful. That must have been ten years ago and she looks exactly the same, sounds exactly the same. For that matter, so do CSN, sound the same that is. They look quite a bit older.

Jackson Browne, with Crosby and Nash as backup singers. Oh, man! Indeed. This show rocks!
Fred says that Stephen Stills not having grey hair is suspicious. Would he dye his hair? Seriously, there's not one grey hair on the man. Just look at Crosby and Nash: ALL GREY. In fact they are shining beacons of grey hair. James Taylor has decided to just hide his head under a hat. Stupid. Show your head. We know you are old. The hat isn't fooling us.

Is Smokey wearing colored contacts? No matter, he still sounds great. They've got a photo of young Smokey, no blue eyes. I think he was trying to match his outfit. Tracks of my tears was the song, so maybe he wanted to emphasize his eyes.

Stevie Wonder's tribute to Michael Jackson was poignant.

Monday is going to be a rough day at school. One of our beloved teachers has passed away from a long bout with cancer. Monday will be the first day back. The funeral will be sometime this week. I imagine that most of us will be trying to just get through the day, like Stevie Wonder was trying to get through Michael Jackson's song. He did it. I now we can too.