Conversations with Calliope- Marriage and Death

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. That seems like an odd title for you entry.
JOE: I suppose it is But those are the two events which kept me busy this weekend.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Families get together quite often for marriages and funerals. Sometimes they are the only places I have seen some of the people I know.
CALLIOPE: What else do they have in common.
JOE: I was just thinking about that for my Saturday column.
CALLIOPE: What did you come up with?
JOE: Both are significant way stations in life. Birth is the other major one but I didn't have one to celebrate this weekend.
CALLIOPE: Anything else.
JOE: The ideas is still percolating. Let me think a moment.
CALLIOPE: Not too long. You have work to do.
JOE: Right. Marriage is an occasion for a couple to join their lives and for their community of friends to join in support of their union.
CALLIOPE: And death.
JOE: Death and funerals provide families with a chance to remember the life of their loved one, say goodbye and comfort each other. I guess that's my theme. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Mysterious Deaths

(New Orleans Cemetery)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: I've been thinking about death this morning.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: Two people I know recently died under suspicious circumstances.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Chemical abuse seems to be involved in both deaths.
CALLIOPE: Do you know that for sure?
JOE: No, but I know that both people have struggled for years with substance abuse.
CALLIOPE: What are you thoughts about this?
JOE: I wonder why people would risk their lives to get high.
CALLIOPE: Maybe they are trying to get our of a hole rather than high.
JOE: Entirely possible. I hadn't thought of it that way.
CALLIOPE: I notice you have never written about drugs or alcohol.
JOE: True. I haven't understood it well enough to express any opinions.
CALLIOPE: What about writing about the mystery of drug use?
JOE: It's something to consider. Talk with you tomorrow

Conversations with Calliope- Tabula Rasa

(Sunset- St. Lucia)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I'm Greek not Roman. I think your title is Latin though.
JOE: You're right. It means blank slate.
CALLIOPE: How did it get to be in today's title?
JOE: I arrived at the computer this morning without anything particular on my mind and thought it apt.
CALLIOPE: I agree. What's up today?
JOE: I am leaving for a funeral shortly.
CALLIOPE: Someone you know?
JOE: Not really. It is the mother of Carol's brother's sister in law.
CALLIOPE: Do you know the family?
JOE: Yes, from family gatherings.
CALLIOPE: So you are not directly involved?
JOE: No, but death and funerals have made me sit up and take notice more than in the past as I get older.
CALLIOPE: What personal meaning does it have for you.
JOE: It's a reminder to make good use of whatever time if have left to me. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Dewitt Park- Batavia, NY)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you on Saturday. Too busy?
JOE: Yes. I did not have time to talk with you in the morning and did not get back from the writers' retreat until late.
CALLIOPE: Nice to have you back this morning. How was the retreat?
JOE: Very good. I got a chance to meet some new writers from the Western New York Meetup Group which met with members of the Lift Bridge Writers Group. I found the day very stimulating.
CALLIOPE: What was the best thing about it?
JOE: I think the enthusiasm of other writers and the mutual support for each others' writing. I also liked being with a writers' group I was not in charge of.
CALLIOPE: How did that help?
JOE: I did not feel responsible for the group and could concentrate on my own writing and interactions.
CALLIOPE: Glad you enjoyed it. Anything else happening this weekend?
JOE: Yesterday I attended a memorial service for a fellow member of Unity Church in Rochester. She was most alive just before she died and was fully prepared for her next phase of existence after physical life.
CALLIOPE: How does that strike you?
JOE: As a good example. I have been thinking about mortality lately. I find the prospect daunting. Donna's example will be helpful to me in living the rest of my life and being ready for the next phase of my existence when the time comes, or more properly, when my time ends.
CALLIOPE: An interesting prospect. Do you feel any different because of this realization?
JOE: I feel more at peace. I was beginning to become anxious about mortality.
CALLIOPE: That's a welcome change.
JOE: I hope that being freed from this anxiety will help me concentrate on what I can do rather than on what I might not be able to do in my life. Talk with you tomorrow.

Ready for Heaven

I did not know Pops well and only met him in his later years. I saw his delight in his wife, children and grandchildren. He enjoyed being among them peacefully, quietly celebrating the milestones of their lives. I did not know him in his more active years but only in his twilight. I was not acquainted with his life struggles, challenges or accomplishments. I did hear him practice his bird calls in occasional moments of quiet. The last time I saw him he was sleeping quietly in his hospital bed. I heard that several days ago, he reached out to God and asked to be taken. He died peacefully in his sleep last night. My hope is that when it is my time to die, I will also be at peace and ready to go as well. James, rest in peace.

(Sunset on Lake Erie)