end of a journey

[calimac]

Two and a half weeks ago, B's mother died.

Today, she was well and truly buried. Many family, some kind friends.

The priest, current incumbent at her old parish where she hasn't been for a while, said that today we lay to rest our sister and gave the name of one of her daughters instead. Ouch. Sense of vertigo among the mourners. Profuse apologies to B's sister later.

The Navy came to the gravesite three strong, saluted slowly, played Taps from a boombox, folded a flag, spoke briefly and formally in honor of "my shipmate" (nice phrase) and got the name right.

That's not the whole story by any means. B. has been spending much of the interval going through belongings at her apartment. So have her siblings. There's more. Tuesday is my turn: I'm going over there to facilitate having the piano moved to our house, and our existing piano swapped out somewhere else. We already have her microwave oven in substitution for our own old one. Etc. Photo albums too. B. prepared the photo collage for the memorial service. And so.

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the Navy did the important things right (though - a boombox?). I hope you're both okay.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Bugler shortage. Nothing I wouldn't have expected.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Very glad the navy showed, even if they could not bring a live bugler.

My best wishes to all. (I lost my grandmother a month ago, so many of these things are echoing memory, including mom and us having to deal with Things.)

[wild-irises.livejournal.com]

Please give B. my best wishes.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

Sounds like everything's being handled right, but, sigh. What kind of piano?

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Uprights of sundry kinds. Turns out there's uprights and there's uprights. Details anon.

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

It's kind of sad that the navy people did better at ritual than the priest did; it is his profession, after all. Though I suppose the military professions also involve a substantial element of ritual.

In one sense that kind of sudden death is merciful. But when not merely sudden but unexpected, it must have been a dreadful shock. You have my sympathies, and I hope the ceremony was not merely a duty but an actual help.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

In the priest's excuse, he'd met with the family, and so had those potentially confusing names, Geraldine and Genevieve, knocking about in his head. The Navy didn't.