Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 31 May 15 - 08:53 PM

The young ladies may have a period of readjustment as you suggested, Nigel, but I imagine they will be happy to be home--and soon start planning their next adventure. Gnu, unless I misread, your post was the 4,500th on this thread!

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: maeve
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 09:44 AM

The friend to whom I've been singing alone and with the folk chorus to which I belong died yesterday. Thanks for your kind thoughts, and please be encouraged to offer your music to those who have been bereft of music.

Maeve

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: GUEST,Pete from seven stars link
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 01:15 PM

Bless you maeve. I hope that the comfort and kindness that you have been able to demonstrate to your friend in his passing, proves to be some consolation to you at this time.    Pete.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: billybob
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 01:41 PM

Sending hugs Maeve xxx
Wendy

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ranger1
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 06:44 PM

Hugs to you, Maeve.

I am headed to Kentucky in a couple of days for my nephew Austin's high school graduation. He is the child of my heart, the apple of my eye, and we have shared a special bond from the day he was born. I could not be prouder of him. He is severely dyslexic and reads at about a 4th grade level and has persevered without any encouragement from family in Kentucky. He reads for enjoyment, even though it is frequently a struggle, and we have the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books to thank for that. I do wonder where the years went, seems like just yesterday he was a toddler who used to climb into bed with me in the morning for a cuddle and now he's a tall young man heading into adulthood.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 06:49 PM

Oh, I'm sorry Maeve. I am sure your singing and that of others has eased her along her journey.

The Continuing in Guam thread contains more sad news.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 07:46 PM

Maeve, just checking in after many a day and seeing your post of today. A long, warm, consoling hug from me too. Stay strong!

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Janie
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 08:04 PM

Maeve, holding his family, you and all who loved him in my heart. Such a gift you and others offered him in his last days. Such solace.

Congrats to your nephew, Tami.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Janie
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 08:05 PM

Maeve, holding his family, you and all who loved him in my heart. Such a gift you and others offered him in his last days. Such solace.

Congrats to your nephew, Tami.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: frogprince
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 08:49 PM

You can say that again, Janie   : )


Maeve, bless your heart; ya done good.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: GUEST,Manuel
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 09:43 PM

Maeve, the 7.46 pm post above is mine.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: maeve
Date: 01 Jun 15 - 11:14 PM

Thank you, friends. I'm so grateful we worked together to give them music right away rather than putting it off for a convenient time. My friend and his wife needed that particular kind of solace. I've been asked to sing at his service, and I will do that, but this form of love-giving does always make singing harder for me for a while afterwards.

***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***
                Song for Bill
               
'Tis easy to linger in sorrow alone
Turn away from the ones we hold dear
Far harder to open Grief's door to the world
And let the West Wind take our fears.
    The pain of our losses, hard choices of life
    Mark each step we will take on the way
    But the Love that encircles a generous heart
    Brings clear vision in darkest of days
   
When Grief clings too close as you search for a path
You may stumble as you walk together
Hold fast to sweet music, that high-flying bird,
In the worst sort of hardship and weather.
    A sorrow that's shared can make enemies, friends.
    So give pardon for wrongs felt and given
    Release the old grudges, let them fly away
    And cherish your loved ones still living.
   
Reflections and shadows of previous grief
Will color each subsequent sorrow.
The sadness of losing our family and friends
Will linger through many tomorrows.
    So sing for the heart that is weeping tonight
    The heart that's bereft and forsaken
    Joy comes in the morning to comfort and cheer
    And Contentment one day will awaken.

© Maeve in Maine, 2015

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: maeve
Date: 02 Jun 15 - 06:12 AM

No wonder I couldn't sleep. Our own big-hearted Jean Ritchie has flown away.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: gnu
Date: 02 Jun 15 - 07:39 AM

Condolences, m. Beautiful song.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: frogprince
Date: 02 Jun 15 - 09:22 AM

Beautiful indeed, Maeve; that reaches right down to the bone.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: GUEST,pete from seven stars link
Date: 02 Jun 15 - 03:35 PM

some good thoughts expressed in that piece , maeve. hope the song goes ok for you in the service, it is evident that it will be heartfelt, and rendered with conviction.    blessings       pete.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: maeve
Date: 02 Jun 15 - 04:17 PM

For kind words, thank you.

Pete- I don't know that I'll try that one in the service. It's not a good practice, in my experience, to sing a raw song in the midst of raw emotion. I'll see when it's scheduled and what I am able to sing.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ranger1
Date: 02 Jun 15 - 09:33 PM

Maeve, whatever you choose to sing, I'm sure it will be a lovely tribute to your friend.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 02 Jun 15 - 09:51 PM

I love the song, too, Maeve, and echo Tami's thoughts.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Janie
Date: 02 Jun 15 - 11:04 PM

Ahhhh. Beautiful, maeve.

Even when I could sing, I could not sing at the funeral or memorial service of some one I held dear. Managed, just barely, my grandmother, whom I loved but who moved far away and I did not see often for many years before her death at a very old age. Neither Annie or I could manage it for my Dad, and were fortunate for our own sakes that he understood when we told him we knew we just could not emotionally manage it when he asked us to sing at his memorial service.   

Takes a special kind of love and courage and compassion to do that, regardless of what one chooses to sing.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 06 Jun 15 - 11:18 PM

Refresh!

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 07 Jun 15 - 08:11 AM

I want to pay tribute to all the fine people who, by their love of humankind & with their selfless actions, often in the face of personal adversity, populate this thread, making it a refuge, a sanctuary, a safe harbour when Life's storms rage. You are my inspiration...my friends...my mentors. My life would be all the more barren without you.
                                           With Love,
                                                          Nigel.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: GUEST,Pete from seven stars link
Date: 07 Jun 15 - 04:50 PM

And you, yourself, Nigel, contribute richly to that description.    Blessings.   Pete.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 07 Jun 15 - 08:26 PM

Yes, Nigel, I feel the same way about you, and I suspect I'm not the only one!

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 09 Jun 15 - 02:52 AM

Big hugs all round!
      Our eldest Granddaughter has returned safely to London, a little older, a lot wiser & with a head full of new sights, sounds, cultures & friends. She's off to uni. later this year with an enlightening gap year behind her. Her academic 'travels' beckon...a journey along which she will excel. Of that I have no doubt.
                                                                     With Love,
                                                                                     Nigel.
                                                                                     xxxxx

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: gnu
Date: 09 Jun 15 - 01:21 PM

Glad she's home safe and sound!

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 09 Jun 15 - 07:15 PM

Great news, Nigel!

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 15 Jun 15 - 06:09 AM

Refresh.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Janie
Date: 15 Jun 15 - 11:56 PM

Well done, Nigel's granddaughter!

I wish my own son would consider post high school education or a pratical trade in addition to the "University of Life." But that is about my own fears and conventionalism, and not about him.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 16 Jun 15 - 03:58 AM

Janie...a brave & enlightened admission. Having never had children of my own, your dilemma, if that's the right word, is not one I've had to face. I can but imagine that what one wishes for one's children & what they actually end up doing, rarely match up. Me, I became a musician...my Parents wanted me to be a PE Teacher...they even had a preferred college. Right up until their deaths, I don't think they were completely reconciled with the path I chose. It was exactly as you said, Janie, it was about their own "...fears & conventionalism".
                                           With Love,
                                                          Nigel
                                                          xxxx

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: maeve
Date: 16 Jun 15 - 09:51 PM

I did sing "Bill's Song" along with Malcolm Dalglish's "Paradise.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: GUEST,pete from seven stars link
Date: 17 Jun 15 - 02:02 PM

well done maeve, did you manage to hold it together ?. either way it was a tribute and loving expression for your friend. blessings      pete.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: maeve
Date: 17 Jun 15 - 02:19 PM

Yes. I wouldn't have done it otherwise. I'm told it went over well.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 17 Jun 15 - 08:01 PM

Good going, Maeve!

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: gnu
Date: 18 Jun 15 - 08:36 AM

Good on ya, m.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 Jun 15 - 09:11 AM

well done

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: maeve
Date: 18 Jun 15 - 06:45 PM

Thank you all.

Maeve

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 19 Jun 15 - 04:57 AM

Brava, Maeve, Brava! Your act of great musical compassion & love makes you a very special woman indeed. You have my utmost respect & admiration. I know for a fact I could not have sung a single note in the same circumstances.
         Tomorrow, 20th June, we remember Pat (Catspaw) Patterson. One of the funniest, erudite, worldly-wise men I ever had the great good fortune to 'meet' on line. I have several treasured PMs which fortunately survived the MC crash. As my Jewish friends would say: "I wish his Family long life".
                                                            With Love,
                                                                            Nigel.
                                                                            xxxxx

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ranger1
Date: 25 Jun 15 - 12:07 PM

Raising to the top, because we need more nice around here.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 26 Jun 15 - 08:23 PM

Ranger1, you are so right about that!

Except for being worn out from a few weekends of folk festivals, I'm fine and hope everyone else is, too. I have nothing on for this weekend which is a bit disappointing but mostly a relief. Next weekend will be busy, though--it's the New Bedford Folk Festival.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 28 Jun 15 - 05:45 AM

These few lines came to me over the last couple of days. They are open to multiple interpretations...they are full of apparent contradictions, yet they are redolent with a personal truth. Dear Reader, make of them what you will. The poem is entitled simply:             'They'.

'They' said it wouldn't rain, but it did.

'They' said I'd feel no pain, but I did.

'They' showed me right from wrong as a kid.

'They' punished when I failed as I was bid.

'They' promised me so much, delivered none.

'They' left me all alone when I was one.

'They' called it "showing off", but it was fun.

'They' gathered round & laughed when I was done.

'They' told me he would live, but then he died.

'They' told me to be brave, but then I cried.

'They' said he felt no pain, but they had lied.

'They' said that time would heal, I'm dead inside.

'They' offered words of comfort from the heart.

'They' wrapped their arms around me from the start.

'They' dried my tears lest I should fall apart.

'They' walked an extra mile, time to depart.

                                                               (© 2015 Nigel Paul Paterson)

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Jun 15 - 08:17 AM

beautifully put, Nigel

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: gnu
Date: 28 Jun 15 - 09:23 AM

Ditto Sandra fer sure.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 28 Jun 15 - 01:35 PM

Well done, Nigel.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: GUEST,pete from seven stars link
Date: 29 Jun 15 - 11:59 AM

nicely encompassing apparent negatives with affirming positives, nigel.
tommy had some blood tests taken, and a doctor phoned to say that his blood count was extremely low, and was we sure he was not ill at present. we are glad to say he is doing well at present, but we have been told that if he falls ill at all it will be an emergency as his resistance is low. so anyone a prayer to spare, thanks.
blessings all             pete.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 29 Jun 15 - 04:36 PM

Oh, dear. Praying, of course.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: gnu
Date: 29 Jun 15 - 06:45 PM

Another, BIG, ditto from here!

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: billybob
Date: 30 Jun 15 - 05:17 AM

and prayers from me too, Pete,
Wendy xxxxxxxxxxx

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: GUEST,pete from seven stars link
Date: 30 Jun 15 - 10:06 AM

thankyou all.   hows it going with you and yours wendy ?
blessings       pete.

Subject: RE: Jane's Rainbow: for all needing support & comfort
From: Janie
Date: 30 Jun 15 - 09:46 PM

Those of you who are such direct caregivers, be it of spouses, children or parents, it is such a hard job that I can not do.    So grateful that in the world there are at least some family members who can dig deep enough to do this hard job of love and responsibility in really instrumental ways.

You are not saints. And it seems to me it is sometimes an awful burden to bear when people label you as such. But you keep on doing what love and duty calls you to do when some, like me, can not shoulder that burden. Let us be really clear. It is a burden. Also a burden rarely equally shared among family members, and for very, very many different and overdetermined reasons.

You are not saints. You have no obligation to appear noble, even when you are not feeling noble. But you are heroic and absolutely awesome, none-the-less.

Sometimes, knowing others see you as awesome, even when you are not feeling so awesome yourself, but feeling careworn, overwhelmed, storm-tossed, resentful, or just wanting to scream 'I can not do this another second - may be enough to carry you through to the next minute, next hour, or next day.

All I can offer is a virtual cup of tea, and occasionally a song of encouragement or empathy. That is all any of us can offer. But I truly hope those offerings help, and believe they do, or I would not still be posting here.

Haven't found any tune or song to post that is a proper tribute to you as caregivers. So just posting a song I like, by a group I like, that I hope you will enjoy.
Old Ties and Companions