funeral

Real life, for me, is the wonderful, comfort of routine; the regular early evening naps, the goofiness of early mornings, feeding Pelletti every 3^rd day, regular coffee drop-ins from friends, and watching a baby grow. But, real life also includes the not-so-wonderful. On Thursday, I went to the doctor (all is well now with me) and Friday we went to a funeral (all is now well for her). Great friend’s mom passed away on Sunday morning, while her son was away for 2 days working – maybe that’s the only way she could leave him.

So, on Friday afternoon, sitting in a castle (yup, that’s how they do it here in Germany), celebrating an incredible woman’s life, I was struck by how real life can be. Watching everyone circle around great friend while he's holding his 8 week old baby and seeing him smile and laugh - what a great thing and surely the only thing that his mother would want.

Her wish is that her ashes be strewn in the Nordsee (North Sea) where she was born and where her son loves to go surfing.  She said that in the summer when he is there, with das baby lying on the surfboard, he can tell her that Oma is swimming alongside her.  Beautiful.  It is a sad occasion to be at the funeral for someone you had really wanted to meet.

In the evening we went up to the mill, where she lived with her husband.  The sound of water rushing is constant, the stars were shining bright, and the baby was crying - lots of wonderful images of life.  We had a wonderful time, filled with laughter, as stories were told about this woman (she once backed her car up a snow covered pass, in reverse, cause she needed front-wheel drive...so smart!) and as we watched great guy bond with das baby (he actually introduced himself to her...so cute!).
A sad day ended with laughter.