Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts. . . Practice resurrection. – Wendell Berry
This favorite quote from Wendell Berry actually came to my mind on Sunday afternoon while I was virtually attending the memorial service for my precious, hilariously funny, full of life friend Jamie.
Even through my tears, as I sat here with my altar lit and my hippie Nag Champa burning for her, every time someone talked about her huge, wonderful laugh, I could just HEAR it. . .
And so I was thinking.
I don’t know what to say for these past few weeks – but, just oh my word. . .
As I’ve written, we’ve had these terrible losses and health episodes and injuries as a result of those episodes and a gnarly CRPS flare has followed. . .
So many hard things.
Still, there is good and light to be found – and I want to share a few blessings from Jamie’s memorial that were just beautiful – and just HER.
First, there is her poem that is just perfect:
perhaps
you wish me
more womanly
rose at my neck
embroidered charm
reading mrs browning
listening to brahms
fingers quick with needlepoint
i put aside
to pour your jasmine tea
my parlor thick
with your approving
properness
more countrified
canning and preserving
leave something to consider
in my bleak season
bake my biscuits
blistering in the oven heat
molasses dipped
sew my gingham grief
into quilts
to warm
your wintery bed
choose for me
when you decide
you’ll find me
at the bus depot
laughing
my head thrown back
howling at the moon.
Second, because she was just so musical, her sister created a fabulous eclectic playlist of Jamie’s loves that she was kind enough to share with all of us.
Y’all know how much I adore a good playlist – but this one is so so dear. It’s been riding around with Sara and me – and I love it so so much that I wanted to share it here too.
Jamie’s Playlist
Only Love Can Hurt Like This – Paloma Faith
Drown In My Own Tears – Aretha Franklin
Lean On Me – Bill Withers
Dream a Little Dream of Me – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Last Request – Paulo Nutini
Broken Halos – Chris Stapleton
Let Her Go – Passenger
Colors – Amos Lee
If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys
Stand By Me – Ben E. King
Sweet Child O’ Mine – Captain Fantastic
True Colors – Cyndi Lauper
Let It Be – The Beatles
Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers
Brokedown Palace – Grateful Dead
Sugar Magnolia – Grateful Dead
Just Breathe – Pearl Jam
New Shoes – Paulo Nutini
Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
Duet – Rachael Yamagata
Bouncing Around The Room – Phish
Sample In A Jar – Phish
Smile – Harry Connick Jr
Sideways – Citizen Cope
Rabbit Hole – Jenny Lewis
Suddenly I See – KT Tunstall
Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
Beverly Cleary’s 115th Dream – Vandaveer
Dearly Departed – Shakey Graves
Keep It Between The Lines – Ricky Van Shelton
Short and Sweet – Brittany Howard
What I Am – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Sweet Pea – Amos Lee
Summertime – Big Brother & The Holding Company
Killing Time – Joss Stone
Everything Is Spinning – Vandaveer
Killing Me Softly With His Song – Fugees
O-O-H Child – The Five Stairsteps
The Garden – Mirah
On Call – Kings of Leon
Knocked Up – Kings of Leon
King of the Rodeo – Kings of Leon
Chasing Pavements – Adele
Wreck of the Day – Anna Nalick
Candy – Big Maybelle
Ooh Child (alternate version) – Beth Orton
Take Five – Dave Brubeck
Lover, You Should’ve Come Over – Jeff Buckley
What If You – Joshua Radin
Blue In Green – Miles Davis
Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007, Prelude. Bach, performed by Yo-Yo Ma
Where Is My Mind? – Pixies
The Way I Do – Bishop Briggs
All Night – Big Boi
Take Me To Church – Hozier
Heat Waves – Glass Animals
Blanket Me – Hundred Waters
Fancy Man – Devendra Banhart
Alaska – Maggie Rogers
Stay High – Brittany Howard
Always Alright – Alabama Shakes
Jingalin – Ludacris
I am so grateful to her sister, Jessica, for sharing this with us all. It is perfectly her. ❤
Finally, the slideshow is wonderful and I want to share it – and save it as well.
This has been really painful – and even more so for one of my dearest who is over the ocean and I would give anything to swim there and help her right now.
With losing Jamie and my health episode and some other issues, as I mentioned, I have found myself suddenly incredibly ill again. There will be a post shortly about all of that.
For now, what is on my heart though, is that even as this has been so painful, as I listen to Jamie’s songs and see her huge smile and hear her laugh in my head, I know that we must find a way to “be joyful though we have considered all the facts.” I know that we must remember all the hilarious things and share the great stories and laugh and laugh.
We must get up somehow and keep on.
We must practice resurrection. . .
We will all miss you so much, sweet friend.
I promise to give Mitch t-total hell for you.
We love you.
Be well, everybody. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Grace and Blessings.
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