November 10, 2010. We buried our momma today. A warm day in November just as the rain was beginning, yet we were given a dry spell in between. Nothing formal, we're waiting until Spring for that. Simple, quiet...good. She's back with her family, no longer the orphan she often spoke about. She was born in 1924: by the early 1960's her entire family was gone and then she buried her husband at the age of 48. Four funerals in 48 years. I don't know how she did it. I now understand the burden of the pain that she bore all those years. She raised three kids through it all, and a significant portion of it alone because daddy's job kept him on the road except for weekends, vacations and holidays. I understand so much more about her now: her pain; sadness; isolation...and during an era when there wasn't the support for (nor the understanding of) grief that there is now; how strong she really was inside...resilient...she had no choice.
After she died a blossom grew on a 12 year old Geranium she had which is now a part of my indoor garden: the biggest, fullest, most red blossom it has ever produced and it lasted until today - about two weeks - I cut it and took it with me to the cemetery. A dear friend buried a gold guardian angel pin in the ground afterwards and her husband brought memorial candles for momma and daddy: they only stayed lit for a short time due to the rain. Precious gifts: both they and what they brought.
It stayed warm this long - for that I am so grateful. I sat up there and watched the clouds...momma loved to look out her window and watch the storms roll in. It wasn't a traditional burial by any means, but it was peaceful and in some ways apropos.
My middle brother shared with me that when he was in his deer stand last weekend he saw a shooting star - A very full, long lasting, bright red Geranium, and a shooting star.......rest in peace momma...
