Furthermore...and in Conclusion

I was thinking about the last post regarding sprinkling of my ashes when that day comes, hopefully far into the future, and I wanted to complete the thought.

A friend of mine had a retort to his wife who said that when she died, she wanted people to have a party. He said he wanted the saddest music you could find and each song should be dragged out so people would be weeping uncontrollably. I thought that was a hilarious comeback, and it actually made me think about my own music on that day.

I would want the proper reverential songs during the service. (No "On Eagles Wings" please). There's so many good ones that our church plays, but I just can't think of any that I would love to have, other than In Christ Alone and Mighty to Save, two of my favorites. If you could get Sara Groves in there live to do a couple songs, that would be good too. Or maybe Third Day.

I say that because it is proper and right to be reverent at a funeral as it means handing over a loved one to God, where ultimately they're complete anyway.

However....

I want the last song to end on a searing, scorching three minute electric guitar solo, complete with ear splitting feedback. If this can be done live it would have to be done by U2's The Edge, Carlos Santana, The Kinks' Ray Davies, or maybe George Thorogood  or BB King in a pinch. Whoever it is, and it would be nice if it was live, should end the solo by smashing their guitar and then a couple of pyrotechnics could go off. It sounds a bit heavy handed and a tad edge and maybe even irreverent, but that's how I want it. I want to go out leaving an impression.

If you're wondering why I would want something like that, it's because despite my calm, laid back demeanor, the searing solo is what is really going on in my head most of the time. It's how I want to live life. I want to turn it up to eleven and go out in a fog-machine cloud. Besides, it might shock a few people, and that makes me laugh.

Mothers day was good around here. We went out for coffee at the Steaming Cup after church. That has become our newest favorite thing to do as a family. I love supporting a local (non-chain) business and the place has such a cool ambiance. Their coffee is outstanding and they make a cinnamon roll with butter cream frosting and caramel that is phenomenal.

The coolest thing about our trips there is it's one of the best chances to talk as a family, relatively uninterrupted, for an hour or so before we all go racing off to our other Sunday activities. We laugh, tease each other, discuss the upcoming week, talk about dreams and vacations, the sermon at church, and school and work and relatives. I cherish those times because before you know it we'll be putting Sarah off to college and Ben won't want to go out with us alone. These are the slow-down moments of a Sunday when we reconnect, look each other in the eye and share our feelings. Good stuff.

My other favorite recent activity also involves the Steaming Cup on Saturday mornings when Donna and I sometimes sneak away for a couple cups before the kids get up. For many of the same reasons, communication and catching up, I love the one-on-one time to be able to listen to her uninterrupted. I'll admit that going through the week, I listen at 3/4 speed to most of what everyone says, including Donna. That's the pull of work, home life, writing, Mosaic, etc. It's not a conscious bad habit, but a bad habit nonetheless. That is why I like the Saturday sessions. It gives me a chance to listen to her, tell her I'm sorry I don't listen better, and just enjoy each other and remember why we were attracted to each other in the first place.

So that's my latest passion. A "Steaming Cup" of coffee with my family. Because it's all that's right about life right now.

Blogging off...

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