dancing "on" the stars...

A couple years ago, (it's been almost 2 years now,) when my daddy passed away, he followed momma by only 5 weeks... While it is hard to lose loved ones, and to have their deaths especially so close together, was a challenge logistically... the image I carried through daddy's funeral and in the days following was one of them dancing on the stars, that same image has struck me many times since... I think one of the reason's momma's passing was harder for me is because I felt how deeply their hearts were connected after 71+ yrs... and I was so glad for them... when they were together again...

Yesterday, momma's sister joined her hubby, to "dance together" in the next life... She has been many year without her hubby and I know she has missed him dearly... In the family email announcing her passing, her family expressed happiness because they know that she was so joyful to be with not just their father and grandfather... but also many other loved ones again... And for a few minutes I spent some time reflecting on her life of example and graceful elegance, which she leaves as a legacy... My aunt was an angel of light even while she was limited by this earth's gravity pull... She had a way of making her extended family feel that she loved you way better than you deserved, but that just made you want to be better... it never left me feeling guilty for accepting that love... and she was generous with her love and desire to welcome all into her home and life... I believe she will be remembered by all as a great person of Christlike inclusion and acceptance.

I don't know when the celebrations in heaven begin for a soul that moves from this life into the next, but I know how much my momma loves her family and I know she was very glad to welcome home her little sister... and I can almost hear the conversations and the joyful expressions as they visit again... listening to my aunt the last time I saw her (about 5 months ago) was like hearing my own mother's voice again... there were similar vocal inflections, and common phrases... and their actual voices sounded a lot like my grandmother (all the girls do some...) there were 5 girls in that family, and they all carry a grace and internal beauty they learned from grandma... Every member of momma's family is a treasure to the extended posterity, we have a rich heritage and a strong family bond...

As I try to find a way to make it to the funeral this week I am reminded of how much it meant to all of us when some of my cousins were able to make my mother's funeral... I want so much to be able to give that same support to my aunt's family... However these are not sad days ahead... like many family gatherings in years past... my aunt's funeral will be a celebration of her life and a chance for her family, and some of the extension branches. to shed some small tears because... oh how she will be missed... but mostly to remember the joy with which she lived her life... and to express externally the fact that we all feel so glad for her to again be with her beloved and... dancing on the stars...