Pace on Earth

The Weight

Heavy times...

If you have the means find The Band's The Weight and let it play. The song is beautiful and has long been one of my favourites. Musically moving, rich at the bottom end, and full of harmony; a legitimate classic. Having said all that, I have never quite got the lyrics. I love the words and the way they are sung but I have never fully understood the message. I spent some good time today trying to figure it out , without any luck. I've spent alot of time this week trying to figure things out. My uncle Dick Greenwell passed away suddenly over the weekend at 56.

Dick was my Dad's sister Margie's husband. He was a warm soul with an easy smile. I don't have a mental picture of Dick without a smile on his face. One can only hope to be thought of that way. He was wonderful husband to Margie, and father to their daughter Emily. After the shock subsides I hope that we, as a family, can help to fill the void that Dick's passing has created. It is a favour being returned, as Margie and Dick have been Dad's lean-to in the dark nights since my stepmother Diane's death nearly 18 months ago now. For me personally, Margie has made me blush more then anyone else. Sometimes for her candid questions to a new girlfriend and more often for her showering of praise. I owe her a thousand warm feelings and hope to pay up.

Dick's sudden death puts everyone's mortality into focus and reminds us that life is short and to live it well. To that end, and to add another chapter to the week that was, little Will turned 19 on Sunday. Hard to believe I know.....

So back to The Band. Diane first introduced me to The Last Waltz cds many years ago. I loved them and still have them now. After she died, on her birthday, the family gathered to remember her and after dinner we sat down and watched The Last Waltz DVD and thought of her. This past Christmas I found the DVD on sale and picked it up for a gift swap that we would be having at Margie and Dick's after Christmas dinner. Will wanted the DVD and he ended up with it. That was the last time I saw Dick; sitting, smiling on the couch with his Emily.

Dick would never pass up a good time and he would not have wanted Will to forego a birthday celebration. As planned, Will and I went to see the Trews play on campus last night. We shared some good laughs over his first (legal) beers and enjoyed some great live music, something that I suspect will be a big part of Will's future, just like his mother. At the end of the show the Trews invited the opener on stage for the encore. The first song they went into for their encore was The Weight. And they did it justice, a great version. And to be there with Will, singing along, something seemed to have come full circle.

The week had been put much in perspective. For those taken before their time to those just coming into their prime, our time is fleeting. Live everyday like it may be your last but always, always take the time to enjoy the music.

Take a load off Dick....I know your knees are ok where you are now so save a dance for your wife.

posted by Vitamin S @ 11:31 p.m.