at this very moment, friends and family of Judith Steinbaum Wachs, my wonderful cousin, are gathering in Massachusetts for her funeral. silly me, i went back to Linda's blog to see what the last few weeks were like. pretty similar to what Gilda was posting on Judy's blog. surrounded by family and friends, hospice, at home. so now there is no more Big PeeWee, only me as Little PeeWee (names Judy and I had for each other since we were much younger, reintroduced as we started corresponding by email). her loss is great, not only to her family but also to the musical community where she was a scholar of early Jewish music and the Ladino musical tradition. she would combine trips to visit family in Israel with research forays and recording sessions with Ladino speakers. she was the director of Voice of the Turtle, and i have almost all of their recordings. someone said that one who dies between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the soul goes straight to heaven.
also from Linda's blog April 13 (yes 6 months ago tomorrow), a portion of what Kaaren read...(i may have already posted it here but it bears repeating)
We who suffer the loss of a loved one
still give thanks that we were privileged to have known her.
That for a time, she graced our lives and enriched our spirits.
Let us not grieve the loss but give thanks for the gift.
The weather is turning. I brought out my purple winter jacket, and in one pocket were the museum ticket stubs from March 19th, when Linda and Audrey and I went to SF to see Dr. Tempero, followed by the museum (Annie Liebowitz photographic exhibit) and a delicious Chinese dinner at Ton Kiang (right near the museum, so we always planned it that way) before rushing home to meet the hospice intake worker.
a lifetime ago and yet as if it were last week.
so many mileposts along the way in the last 6 months.
there is a bit of warmth on the sun. ketzl is in the back, dozing in a cardboard box. he is such a wonderful beast, with a big purr to match his size. i know hs companionship meant so much to Linda, she who had never before been a cat person.
jeremy came for breakfast yesterday (french toast with leftover challah) and we talked about cell phone transition and a lot of other things. i have a lot to do today before leaving for the meditation retreat this afternoon at temple.
