the faith that looks through death

    I came up to my hometown yesterday. There was a death in my family; the funeral was this evening. I considered staying back, just sending a card and expressing my condolences that way, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed really important that I be here for this. Now, having been here, I can't imagine making any other choice. This is my home, and these are my people.

the park by the River

    The trip getting here was pretty inconsequential, which is a little odd for this time of year. I was expecting that there would either be bad weather (rain) or heavy construction to deal with along the way, since Winter is Coming before long and the crews ought to be in a rush to get things finished before the weather changes. There was a lot of truck traffic but not much else to see.
    Yesterday was a quiet time in with my parents. We had dinner at home, then watched Splendor in the Grass, the 1961 film starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty. Having never seen a Beatty film before, I now understand his mythical appeal much better. I can't say that this ranks among

interstate bridge

my favorite films of all time, but I did enjoy it quite a bit, and I'm glad to have seen it so I can have it in cultural context. Wordsworth's poem (Ode 536, 'Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood') certainly means something altogether different now:
What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.     I had breakfast with my parents this morning, early. Well, early for me, but a little late for them. They are kind to accommodate my night-owl nature this way, when I visit. That was followed by a rather intense political discussion, and some rearrangement of the 25 or so plants that I brought back with me to be "foster parented" by various kind people for a while. After a quick costume change, I was back out again,

houseboat on the water

this time to visit the River and take some photographs (some of which are interspersed here) before meeting my very dear friend bgm from Sledding with Rosebud for lunch. We talked about books and reading, music and listening, food and cooking, friends, travel, family, plants, cars, religion, and love. And then we opened our fortune cookies—both good ones!—so I could take him back to work. It had been only about an hour. That's the great thing about friendship, when it's a great one; you pick up when you can, and it's still amazing.
     After lunch, it was back to my parents' house again. I read for a little while, then we all got ready and headed out to the visitation and funeral. That was pretty rough. I have a large extended family. By modern standards, I suppose we're excessively large. On that side of my family (in my generation) there are 27 cousins, and most of us are married and have multiple children.

levee park (birds)

    Our gatherings can get to be massive. I would imagine it's intimidating for people who are attending for the first time, which is something I've never thought about before. Hell, it's intimidating for me, and I've been a part of it my whole life. I was hugged hundreds of times today, dozens of times by people I've not seen since I was in my twenties. It was overwhelming, to say the least. My head is throbbing and I think my heart hurts. Not in a physical way.
     Tomorrow is mostly an off-day. I have a couple of errands to run, but I'll mostly be hanging around at home until I go to a friends' house in the evening. I haven't seen them since the last time I was home, which is way too long. If I lived closer, we would probably see each other twice a week at least. So I'm looking forward to getting a fix of a particular brand of humor, straight talk,

levee park (birds in flight)

commiseration, unspoken communion, and sisterhood that I don't get anywhere else. Plus the most awesome brother-hug, little-girl-turning-tween tart/sweetness, and an adorable short-haired cat, to boot. What more could I want?
     For this to be my life, please, rather than my vacation. Oh, I realize that it wouldn't be all dining out and hugs and reminders of how much I'm loved. The hard work of making a living would intrude, too, I know. But it would just be a heck of a lot more palatable in alternate circumstances.