I’ve never sung to anyone before.
But I sang to my mother.
Sitting beside her coffin, my hand resting on her cold, cold shoulder, I stared at her new form, feeling all crumpled and small.
The computer played softly on a nearby flower stand, the music already queued for when her guests arrived.
In a broken, childlike voice, I found myself singing along.
Sing me back home with a song I used to hear
Make my old memories come alive
Take me away and turn back the years
Sing me back home before I die
My mother was already dead, but I sang her home anyway.
I didn’t realize that was a significant moment, but now that I’m months into this thing, I know it was a significant moment.
Here’s to you if you follow your gut. If you grab those flashes, even when you don’t know they’re flashes—or understand what they mean.
The photo: My mother cringing at something I said, but loving every second of what was likely “dirty talk.”