The angels are singing..I think...

The unbelievable has stopped me in my tracks.  My mother has moved on.
 Last night we had her memorial service.  It was full of laughs and memories, friends and family...and yes a bit of craziness too.  Why not??
Here are my favorite guys all ready for the service.

 Alice Franzen Clemons Burt...89 years ago..age 4

And once again, my favorite tribute to my dear mother, this poem by her friend. (He wrote this in November, 2011 when she was dying before...I think it was time number 3...That was the time she enjoyed her wake and took the wrong train.)  Unbelievable.

Alice
by Michael Ham

Here, in the twilight, she stands in the shadows
and looks back upon the road just traveled.
Limbs, once young and limber, hold her frame with difficulty now-
the clarion voice of youth now mirrors the song of the butterfly.

She was the poet, and now she is the poem-
a story for the reader yet to come.
There is a clarity to her rhyme-a subtlety to her meter-
and in her verse is the story of humanity.

Here in the twilight she awaits the evening,
not in melancholy, but in anticipation.
She does not stand alone, for here-further back in the shadows-
are all the characters who shared her stage-her light.

She was the play write-and she inhabited her play-
a generous actress always ready to share the applause.
When a fellow actor stumbled, she picked him up
and infused him with a desire to be better-for her.

She was the teacher-sharing the song of poetry with the world.
She was the mentor-passing her love of words to youth.
She was the friend-she was always the friend-
showing each fearful soul what courage looks like.

Here in the twilight- as shadows deepen-
she does not hide her eyes from the coming dark-
but sees the dawn of discovery
that rises on the far horizon-and she prepares.

Here in the fading of the day-when meadowlarks serenade-
She sees the faces of all she loved-of all who loved her-
And as that last glimmer of light falls softly on her aging cheeks-
She hears the angels sing; hosanna.

And a bonus....My dear girls plane to Dublin was overbooked...YES!!!  The next direct flight from Charlotte is on Sunday..We have two extra days with her now plus she got a free plane ticket back...OMG...my cup runneth over...!!  Now, Mom...Did you have anything to do with this??  xxxoo