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My dad invited a family member to compose an obituary for Mom; it arrived yesterday midmorning via email. Upon reading the short paragraph which was sent, my dad asked me to add to it—a revision if you will.
I sat down and let the words spill onto the screen.
As rain poured in torrents outside the large picture window, the words—the obituary—materialized into something a bit more; no longer was it simply a death notice.
It had become a tribute.
A blog post.
I share it with you here.
* Consequently, the two errors in the obituary are not mine, they were made afterward by the paper...I mean really, who would hyphenate 'California' for heaven's sake?
16 comments:
I thought it was very nice...Sending a hug with this comment for you...
Very nice tribute! I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. She raised a good son!
It was beautiful!
Finally... some of your writing has been published. :)
What a beautiful tribute. I think she and I would have been friends if we had the chance.
Those Latter-Cay Saints of Cali-Fornia are just amazing. In all seriousness, your contribution stands out beautifully. It is, indeed, a tribute. Hugs from VA--I know this has been a rough time for you.
L
That was simply perfect.
I wasn't even aware the obituary was in the paper yet... Roy's mom called us about an hour ago while we were out and asked who wrote it. I had her read me a few lines and I said, "Oh, my brother wrote it". You have a very distinctive style :)
Thanks for the beautiful words. I did pull a brief 'wtf?' when I saw Cali-fornia.
Nice job. You captured her - I felt that even though I only met her a couple of times.
So the funeral is Thursday instead of Monday I guess...
Very beautiful and I agree with GaeLynn, she did raise a good son! Take care.
Beautiful!
What a beautiful tribute to your mom. I love it. I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. I lost my dad back in October. It's hard.
Nicely done. Hope you're all well.
My condolences to you and your family.
The best obituary I have ever read.
K - Thanks for the hug, Karen!
G - I appreciate that, GaeLynn. Thanks for coming by.
K - Much appreciation...it felt good to write it how I wanted to and not follow the standard format.
G - I think you would have, too. As for being published...yep, it finally happened!
L - I know, isn't it crazy? I wonder how they could mess up on copy and paste?
D - I could have changed a few things, but overall, I love it.
M - That makes me laugh. It is also flattering to think that I now have a style - more so that it is a distinctive one.
C - Thanks, Cari.
L - I'm convinced that we should have lived closer to each other so as we could have been friends growing up.
S - It is a hard thing, isn't it? People who haven't gone through something like this just can't understand. They can have sympathy, but EMPATHY is a totally different thing.
C - Thanks.
D - I really appreciate that.
A - It's funny, I can go back and read it now and it doesn't seem as hard to take in. I suppose that time really does make things better.
I'm taking the time to get caught up on you. (you know why I haven't been here much). I was in awe when I read your mom's obituary. I have never read anything so "human".
I have read a handful of obituaries lately (aunts, uncles etc..) and none of them have ever been so well written. Your mom would have been proud (if she wasn't already).
I'm sorry you lost her while she was still so young. Life doesn't always go as we hope/plan. (hugs)
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