Today as I was thinking about what to write, I thumbed through some materials and found my eulogy that I had written, under duress, 12 years ago. I had attended a workshop and a forced assignment was to write our eulogy.
I recall the day I drove my 11 year old son to choir practice. I armed myself with a blank notepad and pen, deciding that I would make good use of my wait time. I went to the very back row of the empty church with pen in hand and absolutely no idea where to start. I started to think about one of the songs that the kids were performing on their tour, The Rhythm of Life:
“When I started down the street last Sunday
Feeling mighty low and kind of beat,
Suddenly a voice said “Go forth, Neighbor,
Spread the future on a wider screen.”
And the voice said “Neighbor, there’s a million reasons
Why you should be glad in all four seasons.
Hit the road, Neighbor, leave your worries and strife.
Spread the religion of the Rhythm of Life.
For the Rhythm of Life is a powerful beat,
Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet.
Rhythm on the inside, rhythm on the street,
And the Rhythm of Life is a powerful beat.”
For reasons I cannot explain, that song touches me so. All of a sudden the thought came to me to weave the rhythm of that song into my eulogy. I started thinking about my life as a child, and I picked up my pen…
EULOGY
ROSIE BROWN
June 8, 1997
“The rhythm of life is a powerful beat, Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet. Rhythm on the inside, Rhythm on the street And the Rhythm of Life is a powerful beat.” The beautiful song “The Rhythm of Life” embraced Rosie throughout multiple musical compositions during her space of time on planet Earth. The study of theory began in her early years. The presence and absence of so many notes taught her lessons about the richness of life: love, sensitivity, appreciation for the dirt, wild daisies, open spaces, butterflies, the spring breeze, clouds, and nature.
One cannot play music until one places the fingers on the keys of the instrument. Starting with the right hand first, Rosie entered the next phase of development. In this space of time came the development of self esteem, self concept, self worth. Many pieces of music were played to teach the right hand its lesson: marriage, children, Nursing, education, counseling, career development.
Once one masters the right hand, the realization comes that something is missing. One longs to include the left to make the music richer and more beautiful.”
Here I got stuck. Now what? I stared into space and finally the sound of the church bells above pulled me back to the task at hand. I began again:
“Once one masters the right hand, the realization comes that something is missing. One longs to include the left to make the music richer and more beautiful. Oh how beautiful the music is becoming. Hear the bells chime? The bells are heralding in a new Rosie. How sweet the music. The Rhythm of Life is such a powerful beat. How beautiful the rebirth, the development. New beginnings, new life, new confidence that came with the new marriage, the development of the children, the joy of self awareness, spiritual birth and transformation.”
At this point I was really stuck. Everything I had written to this point had already happened. I didn’t have a clue as to what to predict for the future. I then remembered a tool that I was taught years ago: just start writing. Write anything. The most important thing is to simply begin to write; somehow the message will come. I began again:
“Single notes, right and left, something is still missing. The music is just beginning to dance. Harmony, beautiful harmony, peace and joy begin to flower as a bud in springtime. The time came to share the theory, to share the lessons, to enrich single notes, to bring harmony to others so that they too might feel the tingle in the fingers, the tingle in the feet. Rhythm on the inside…and Rhythm on the street. There is the need for music in both places, but before there can be rhythm on the street, there first must be harmony on the inside.
The crescendo in Rosie’s musical path came in the final musical selections on planet earth, devoting her life to helping others feel and appreciate the music on the inside of each of us. With so much music in the inside of all of us, how can we help but have rhythm on the street?
Rosie wants to remind us all that the Rhythm of Life is a powerful beat, puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet. Rhythm on the inside, rhythm in the street. And the Rhythm of Life is a powerful beat.”
I put that Eulogy away and didn’t look at it for years. When I examine it now, I am absolutely stunned at the ending. It is exactly what I am doing. How could I have known? My soul must have known, even when my conscious mind was not aware. So does yours. All you have to do is be still and listen. All the answers are inside.
Here’s your assignment, if you choose to accept it. It will make a dramatic impact in your life. Get a blank notepad and pen. Go to your favorite spot where you can be alone and uninterrupted for a space of time. Just breathe, relax, and get lost in the process. Have fun with it.
One of my friends reluctantly took me up on my suggestion, but before he did, he had to tease me just a little. He wrote: Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust. If Kenny would have listened to the good advice, He would still be with us!
It is a daunting task, but one that you will be so grateful for undertaking. When finished, put it in a safe place, and once a year pull it out and take a look. You will be amazed at what you will find – the beautiful story of you.
