Below you can find another chapter from the book Thank you, mum. I hope it touches your heart.
(For the Swedish version, scroll down and then select Next post.)
Wherever you
went, whatever you did, you brought the music with you. You were always humming
a tune. Singing along to melodies. Melodies that were enjoyed, not only by you, but also by people around you.
Music was a part of your childhood. Grandpa played the accordion. He was
self-taught and played music by ear. Maybe he wanted you to follow in his
footsteps, but Grandma bought you a piano. You learned how to play by notes as
well as by ear. Chopin was one of your favorite composers. Later on, when
dementia made you uneasy, we listened to Chopin. Your fingers were moving
across the table as if it were a piano.
We often sat around your piano. You,
Dad, my brother, and me. You, playing and singing, and the rest of us joining
in. Such lovely, wonderful evenings together. Why stare at a TV when you can
sit together and create music?
In one of the letters, which you
sent to me when I was an au-pair in France, you wrote that you missed those
evenings. Fall had already arrived but you couldn't sing Tidig morgon i september (Early morning in September) or Höstvisa (Autumn Melody) with me like you had used to.
Nowadays, I am the one missing our evenings by the piano.
You often played for your kids at
school, they got to sing along and set up plays whilst you filled the room with
your tunes. In your younger years, Dad, who was far from religious, would come
to church with you when you were playing the organ.
Later in life, you two loved going
to concerts. You'd cry while listening to Malena Erman. Laugh and enjoy cheerful old Owe Törnqvist. Music was your source
of joy, and you spread it all around you.
To set up a playlist for your
memorial was truly an emotional task. Picking out songs and humming along, lips
wet with tears. Thank you for the music, Mum. When I happen to hear your
favorite songs, I know you're listening with me. You're listening, singing,
smiling, and playing that piano up in Heaven.
**
Please share this blogpost if you think it can help someone!
This was a chapter from the book Thank you, mum. A book for those who miss someone.
To read the first chapter, go to this post. To get a notification by mail when a new chapter is posted, click here.
If you would like to give the book to someone you think can be soothed by it, or to yourself, you can find it on Amazon on any of the links below, or you can search for it on your Amazon of choice.
Amazon in the Netherlands (if the price of the paperback is higher than about 17 euros, check out another market)
No comments:
Post a Comment