The Twisted Gypsy

(A shot I took in the swamps in Florida.)

Life and death= an infinite well of thoughts. This week I went to the funeral of my great aunt. She lead a happy and healthy life and lived to the ripe old age of 90. Of course, when someone passes, they will (hopefully) be missed. However, there is so much more to be thankful for when someone goes in a peaceful way and at the seemingly ‘right’ time.

So, armed with those thoughts, I have been sorting through my feelings about the event that is a funeral/memorial service/burial when someone passes. I have been to three very different interpretations of the end of life events recently and I am truly wondering what is it really all about?  Is it about the grieving?  Is it about the dead?  Is it about traditions?  Is it about an end?  Is it about a beginning?  Or is it about remembering the past?  What about a celebration of life?  I’m not sure if it is just my nature, but I always tend to lean toward a good old party.

Of course, the answer on some level is “to each his own.”  But I do find myself pondering if the deceased are looking down at their loved ones who are sitting there in stiff outfits, listening to worn out old songs and hearing stories about the deceased from a preacher that sometimes barely remembers the name of the person he is eulogizing.  In my  mind, the guest of honor is dancing about, perhaps even shouting at their families saying “Stop this train!  Stop this awful music! Get my body out of that hideous looking, cold, metal casket!  Get up!  Get out of here! CELEBRATE MY LIFE!”

Although the level of celebration will always be determined by the circumstances, I am taking a vow to celebrate the people that I love when they pass (before that too=) It just makes sense to have a party, to share stories and to toast to a life well lived.

And also, a good party dress always makes a girl feel better!

Watch this beautiful, creative commercial. Simple ideas told in a clear, innovative way, are so inspiring. It doesn’t take much to get outside of the box:

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Although I vowed to never eat at this establishment again, I do support this chicken:

A view from the January apartment…

So, we are working on this project in South Florida that has brought 6 different schools together with students from all walks of life.  Actually, they are from walks of life that you would never see having grown up in Kansas.  Ahem.  That is, except for if you worked in a very eclectic neighborhood in Chicago.  You get the picture.  They are completely different from me in oh-so-many ways.  With that said, I am totally fascinated by them and have learned so much just stepping back and listening to what they have to say.  Because they have had such struggles, such insanely difficult experiences, their emotional starting line is way beyond what you would expect from a fourteen year old.  It is humbling to witness them spilling their hearts out on stage.

So, after sharing so much of the darkness of their lives, they wanted to write an uplifting opening number, r&b style. Did I mention I am super white and from Kansas?  Did I mention Nippe is super white and Swedish?  Yeah.  So, here is what we all came up with.  When we were finished, we recorded a little demo to send out to them to rehearse. The verses are missing so the students can create their own solos, but you can hear where it is going.  In case you missed it, we are not r&b singers…but I am not quite sure it turned out to be r&b anyway. =)

Find_Your_Light_DEMO

We just turned Katy’s closet into a full on recording studio.