I enjoyed going with Karen to visit her Uncle Elroy last night. It was amazing to watch him pick all those tunes on his guitar. It was funny that he expected me to keep up with him on mine. I didn’t have a clue, but I tried my darnedest. He was just happy to have someone play with him, and especially to have an audience. This old dying man is a treasure trove of music and family. I wish I could sit with him for years and learn all the music in him.
I appreciate the way the family is with him—simply, attentively, lovingly. They take the time it takes to be present. Seems families no longer have that kind of time for one another. Last night there was laughter, chess victory dances, spaghetti and cube steak, mosquitoes, night sounds, sweet ice tea, grief and joy—all this infused with music and love. Son, daughter, niece, grandchild, great grandchild, and more, present—all gathered to be with this man at the end of his life. Seems he has spun quite a strong and glistening web of love and support.
I’m sure this is not a perfect family, but it is a family with blood thick and rich as Georgia red clay. They love their own and they love their own’s own. It was an honor to be with them during such a sacred time–the dusk of a legend uniting with eternity.
I wish more folks could find the joy, treasure, and richness of being with those who are dying. It is not only a gift to the one dying but is also a gift to those who are willing to be present during such times. The veil is thin and translucent. Time expands and deepens. We get a glimpse of eternity if we allow it.
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