September 11, 2009
A singing friend with a sore throat needed a sub for a 10:00am Irish-Polish-Italian funeral at St. Thecla's on Chicago's northwest side. Repertoire requirements included "Serdeczna Matko", "Ave Maria", "Santa Lucia", "Celtic Alleluia" and "The Rose". Luckily, I had sheet music for "The Rose" in a file of music dating from my high school years on my back porch, right next to "You Light Up My Life" (hey, you never know what someone might want to hear). Thank you, Kathy, for helping me earn the cash to pay for the party (get well soon)!
St. Thecla's had a huge rummage sale going on. Thank you, St. Thecla's, for Laurel's new $1.50 pair of ice skates, and for two Build-a-Bear outfits at $.50 each!
My dear friend and fellow singer Ewa lives right down the street from the church. She doesn't know "The Rose" so, she could not go sing the funeral at her own parish. But, she called and invited me over for homemade butternut squash soup, fresh croutons and cookies. She gave me a nice maternity top. Thank you, Ewa, for free lunch, clothes, and conversation!
My parents were driving to town today from Iowa, on an afternoon when I desperately needed a babysitter before York H.S. students are available. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for free babysitting!
The funeral this morning was for an elderly woman who had fought back from bouts of cancer several times over decades. I did not know her but she was clearly beloved by her family and friends. Normally, I try not to listen to the eulogies because it's very hard to sing afterwards (humming "Copacabana" or "The Chicken Dance" to myself usually helps). Today, with no song in my head, I paid attention to the eulogy, given by her widower. He talked about the day they met (It was raining and he had an umbrella) and a little about the 50 some years since then. He ended with this line: "It was fun. Thank you, Alice."
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