In the final months of her life while she was bedfast, my mother – Miss Ethel – sang in the very early morning hours. How could one not awaken smiling when hearing that beautiful voice singing joyfully next door and welcoming a new day!
Daytime surprises brought the unexpected burst of song with her arms raised in greeting as I entered her room.
And in the evening after being tucked in, she sang along with the music playing as I worked in my office next to her bedroom. Monosyllables – simply heavenly – singing along most often with my harp music. It was mesmerizing.
During the night, her encore was an “other-worldly” rendition – like a sad song of mourning. It was her good-bye. Holding nothing back, her whole body seemed to be rendering her song. Her soprano voice had become bass! As we drew closer to her earthly departure, it was this mournful singing which prevailed over a period of several weeks during the midnight hours.
It was beautiful, “other-worldly,” and it signaled the arrival of a new way of being together.
Posted by: Susan Troyer, MS, BA
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