Friday, May 14, 2010

I interrupt this blog for a special announcement


Our Angie Gumbo Writer is back . . . welcome back to Blogville, Angie!


I'd told you all I wanted to write some thoughts about her mom's services. These are the images that have stayed with me since my return:


At the wake, there were hardly any seats left and a long long very long line to shake hands, hug, and kiss Angie and her family. Her parents were loved. Her mother loved. Flowers were everywhere.

A teenaged grandson's chin trembling is the saddest sight.

Endings sometimes feel like they aren't endings at all, but only pauses.

Angie's father is grace personified. A gentle-man. A beautiful soul.

At the grave site, there were chimes in many of the trees, and as the wind blew, all the chimes sang and sang and sang. The tree leave's brushed against each other - sighs. The chimes. The wind. All the souls, souls, souls, souls, souls, souls - so many souls.

Angie's father, at the end of the services, turned around and thanked everyone for coming, and with this look of profound grief, but also pride and love, he invited everyone to the "celebration of Peggy's life" - in his own grief and sadness, he wanted to make sure everyone knew how appreciative he was, and that they all felt invited and wanted and loved. I'll never forget the look on his handsome face . . . that loss and pride and gratitude.

Now, go by and say hello to our Angie and welcome her back to her blog. She, like her father, and her mother, is Grace personified, a gifted poet and writer, a wonderful mother, and a best friend.

3 comments:

Terri Tiffany said...

I've missed her. So glad she is up to coming back:)

Karen said...

I could read and feel the emotion of it all in your post. I'd never heard about placing wind chimes, sounds almost surreal.

Debra said...

"Endings sometimes feel like they aren't endings at all, but only pauses." I love this statement and how true it is.

Sounds like she was a very special lady!