I am Perelandra
Monday, October 8, 2012
Monday, February 14, 2011
Worst Valentine’s Day memoir contest
Worst Valentine’s Day: Honorable Mention
SAYING GOODBYE
Perelandra Smith
The worst Valentine’s Day of my life was February 14th 2010. It was a day for saying goodbye… whether I wanted to or not.One day he was exhausted in all ways possible. I suggested that he should go to Kaiser and he let me drive him there. He was evaluated and transferred to the local hospital where he stayed mostly in a coma for three and a half months. I thought he was going to pull through. I thought I would see him again.
Mo died on Friday February 12th and, as his religious tradition stated, was to be buried as soon as possible. Not wanting to offend visiting relatives, I researched their funeral customs and learned that this would be quite different from any funeral I had ever attended. We arrived at the small cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The field was covered in a dirty white blanket, snow from the previous week’s blizzard. In the Muslim cemetery, raised headstones or markers are not allowed, so it felt as if we were placing him in a random plot of land. Men carried his body and lowered it into what looked like a jagged hole cut into the earth, lined with planks of wood.
There were no elaborate headstones or oversized sprays of lilies. It was forbidden for those in mourning to excessively wail, scream, or thrash about. I scared myself into thinking I could not cry loudly or show dramatic displays of grief. So much was going on in my head. Emotions were stirring, not only from the death of my dear friend, but also from images of my sick cat, Sekhmet, in declining health, cavorting around in the back my mind.
Sekhmet after he lost 13 pounds.
Holding Sekhmet when he was healthier.
So this was my Valentine’s Day in 2010. It was filled with much sorrow and will always be remembered as a tarnished day, but with the first anniversary quickly approaching, I will try to cherish the joy and love in my life.
http://womensmemoirs.com/memoir-scrapbooking/valentines-memoir-contest-winner-3-saying-goodbye-by-perelandra-smith/
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Can I blog?
My first attempt at blogging. I have some amazing new friends who are participating in a "365 project" and feel inspired.
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