November sneaks in on a gray and damp Sunday morning this year. It’s one of those months that bring about mixed memories. Some, like those from Thanksgivings from the past , are warm and fuzzy while others bring much different emotions. For instance, next week marks twenty years since my mother died. Hard to believe that it’s been so long, a thought that comes to mind every year at the beginning of November.
I try to not remember Mom in terms of those last pain-filled months leading up to her death, instead focusing on better days and moments that I hold in my mind. Despite that, November reminds me of those last days and I find myself digging through the files to look at some of the images from my Exiles series that were painted back when she was going through her final days in 1995. Looking at them now brings back a rush of emotions and memories, some that I try to avoid most days.
But ultimately, you can’t avoid those things we all must experience. Life has its own way and we have to accept what it gives us as a gift. Perhaps those painful moments and the tears we shed are proof of the preciousness of that gift.
I don’t fight back the tears in November. Like any gift, I accept them now with what I hope is gratitude.
That brings us to this Sunday’s musical interlude. I have chosen Johnny Cash‘s cover of the Loudon Wainwright song, The Man Who Couldn’t Cry. I really like this version of this song about a man who finally learns to cry, becoming a real human.
Have a great Sunday. And if you feel like crying, go ahead…
Redtree Times 