In some ways, this is a tough post to write, but it's also nice to remember those who touch us deeply, right?
I should apologise for stepping away from my more light hearted, humour tinged posts. This weeks topics for the #weekend-engagement blog prompts left me only one topic to respond to as it resonated with me instantly.
Two songs or pieces of music
Name two songs or pieces of music that have meant a great deal to you, defined moments in your life, made you feel great happiness or great sorrow when you hear them or take you back to a special moment. Explain why in each case.
When it comes to choosing meaningful pieces of music, there are many pieces that stand out above the rest for me. They each have a special meaning and hold a significant place in my life.
Music has the power to evoke a wide range of emotions. Some songs can make us feel happy and upbeat, while others can bring on feelings of sadness or nostalgia. Music can also be used to pump us up for a workout or help us unwind after a long day. In many cases, the emotions we feel when listening to music are closely linked to our personal experiences and memories. For example, hearing a certain song might remind us of a particular person or time in our life.
However, even if we don't have any personal connection to a piece of music, we can still appreciate its ability to stir up powerful emotions within us. Whether we're dancing along to our favourite pop song or crying along with a heart-wrenching ballad, music has the unique ability to touch our souls in a way that words alone cannot.
It will, I'm sure, be instantly obvious why I have chosen the 2 pieces of music that I have.
"The old rugged cross" Traditional funeral hymn.
"Abide with me" Traditional funeral hymn
The two pieces of music I have chosen that are incredibly important to me are "The old rugged cross" and "Abide with me". Both of these pieces were played at my Nana's funeral, and they hold a great deal of meaning for me. If you are familiar with me you will no doubt have heard me mention my Nana. She is the single greatest influence in my life to date.
This wonderfully warm, funny, friendly woman was my absolute world and I loved her unconditionally. She passed away in 2008, but even now, all these years later, her presence is still felt in my life every single day.
Trust me when I tell you the events of March 1st 2008 are as vivid to me right now as they were at the time. My Nana Martha was 82, had several ongoing health problems, so it's safe to say, I knew she wasn't going to go on forever. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have gotten to my mid 30's with her in my daily life.
As the grandson of my Nana who had 4 (living) children, I didn't really expect to be given too much of a say in what should be included in her funeral service. I was, however, asked about suggestions of music.
Abide with me was already on the table and was indeed chosen, it is a staple of virtually every funeral in England, especially for those over a certain age, I am sure much of the wider world too.
Although not particularly religious myself, the words of the song have always resonated with me on a deep, personal level. I believe my youthful pre-occupation with the topic of death and everything that surround it instigated this connection.
My suggestion that wasn't so obvious to the wider family was "The old rugged cross". I spent an immense amount of time with my Nana throughout her life and knew a lot about her. That might seem an odd comment to make, doesn't everyone know their family members? In my experience, many people know those nearest and dearest on a surface level, in the latter years at least.
I asked my Nana about every aspect of her life growing up, what her dreams were, musical tastes, books, favourite old-time movie stars, beliefs, what she thought about. I knew she utterly adored that piece, when I was very young, on a Sunday as she made the roast dinner, we listened to an old time radio show.
I often rang in requesting songs that my Nana loved from her younger years, I loved to see her face light up as she heard them and sang along. She really enjoyed the versions by Lena Martell and Jim Reeves, names lost on most people today.
I did indeed get my way and the song was added to the service, I was happy as it felt right. I sang loudly in church that day, through both songs, through tears, shaky voice and through what felt like heartbreak. I sang loud for my Nana, she deserved nothing less from the person she once secretly told me was her favourite grandson.
A few days later, I was watching an episode of Doctor Who. I am a massive Doctor Who fan, always have been since I was a tiny weird kid in the 70's, I used to watch it when I stayed with my Nana and Grandad for the weekend, I always stayed there when I got the chance.
The episode was "Gridlock", it was first broadcast 1 year earlier in 2007. I had watched it the day it was first on TV of course but I watch re-runs a lot. This was the first time I had noticed the fact I am about to share though.
Both, "Abide with me" and "The old rugged cross" were featured in the episode. I couldn't believe it. When the tears began to stream down my face, they were happy ones, as I remembered being a young boy as my Nana cooked the Sunday roast...
Thank YOU for taking the time to read my post and if you're one of those amazing people who like to hit the comments section... Then I doubly thank YOU!
Either way I want you to know that you are appreciated!
Keep taking the time to connect with each-other both here and in the 'so-called' real world and try and look after each-other, because as you already know...
