Reading the Signs

In grief I think we look for signs and assign meaning to things which may or may not be meaningful. It seems harmless and it helps. At Don’s memorial yesterday, the CD the family had chosen to play would not play at first. Don’s cousin Paul just had to continue with his service until someone from the funeral home let us know that they had got the CD to work. Later, many people commented that Don had intervened and prevented the CD from playing. “He didn’t want us to listen to that song,” several people asserted. Someone even said that he didn’t want us to listen to that song at first but then relented. This would have to be the case because the chosen song was so funereal, appropriate and by James Taylor an artist we all know Don liked:

Just shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna work out fine if you only will

Later, as we were driving back to Hamilton, we all noticed how beautiful the weather was – mild, pastel sky and sun…and we read it as a sign and as a lovely gift that Don had sent us…it doesn’t matter whether this is true or not.

This is something I’m learning from DQ currently - as the knight errant – The Knight of the Mirrors - has turned out to be a fraud/a friend wounded by DQ and now failed in his quest to trick DQ into returning home. And DQ has continued to wander convinced that the face of his friend revealed when DQ lifted his visor at the end of their “battle” was put there by an enchantment and that he has really successfully vanquished an enemy. And I guess there's some truth in that...