silence.

my mother-in-law had so many friends. at her visitation, person after person, both friends and family, stood and spoke into a microphone to share their stories and memories about mimi. they were funny and heartfelt and each one brought tears to my eyes.

the next day at the funeral, hundreds attended to say goodbye to mimi. the funeral was really the most beautiful i'd ever been to, if i can say such a thing. my in-laws are a very musical family, and the "family choir" sang edelweiss, the notes reverberating against the high church ceiling. i get goosebumps just writing about it.

even more difficult to think about is the eulogy my husband delivered, acknowledging the woman who'd had such a profound affect on his life; on the man he'd become. never have i been so proud of him, not like this. never have i been more sure of my commitment to him and of how grateful i am to be his wife.

the day following the funeral, the family, both immediate and extended (which is all immediate in this clan) gathered at the family farm, far in the woods around a campfire where they have gathered many times before. they go there to celebrate life and loss, to celebrate the changing of the leaves, the beginning of deer hunting season, and just about any other reason you can come up with.

always when they are there, eventually the music begins. i'm so jealous of their family, because even the "worst" of the bunch musically, are many times better than myself, and they harmonize better than any singing group i've ever heard. i've had the pleasure to be witness to this beautiful family's musicality many times and have always enjoyed being a part of it all.

this time there was no singing...there was laughter, and sadness; remembrance and fun...but no singing. i think it's because mimi wasn't there. she seems to always be the one to get the music going. it seemed very quiet out there in the woods that day.