Flowers carried in and placed on the altar.
The casket was draped in white. Music began.
Choir sang. Comfort offered to those mourning.
Last words by a family member. Tears.
Off to the cemetery with prayers graveside. Sometimes
music is the only medicine the heart and soul require.
My journey as a music minister began in my teens in
Colorado when I often did not understand the sadness.
Only years later when both my parents departed
their earthly life did I fully comprehend life’s meaning.
We are born and we die. We remember in prayer those
who have gone before us. Life’s journey is now complete.
We gather and celebrate the life of the deceased
loved one. My turn will also come. I hope I
can say that I did my best to love and to serve others.
Music is the comforting medicine I offered today.
Dr. Mary Ann Niemczura 
This is so beautiful. Thank you for this 😊
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Thank you for such a lovely comment. You are most welcome. Enjoy your weekend.
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Thank you and wishing you the same 😊
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Blessings to you. Enjoy some music this weekend.
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Thanks a lot. Coincidentally, I was listening to Chopins Nocturne and Beethoven’s Silence as well as Yiruma this afternoon 😊 Music definitely soothes your spirit and changes the way you see life.
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Such a lovely comment. You must be a kindred spirit. I love Chopin, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and the other great masters. Smetana’s Moldau is a favorite piece. I will now have to listen to Yiruma. Thank you so much and have a music-filled weekend.
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Thank you 😊 I just got introduced to these amazing artists. So it will take time absorbing everything. And thanks for the suggestion, will listen to Moldau as well. Yiruma’s ‘River Flows In you’ is soothing 🙂 Wishing you a great weekend as well.
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Yiruma’s River Flows in You is playing as I write this. There are so many great masters out there to listen to and find solace in. May you find joy this weekend.
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Thanks 😀 wishing you the same as well.
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Prayers and comfort for all those who mourn… Music is such a comfort at these times, Mary Ann. Blessings to you as you minister. ❤ xo
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Thank you for such a kind and thoughtful comment, Bette. Much appreciated. Enjoy your weekend. 🙂
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You have a wonderful weekend too, Mary Ann! ❤ xo
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Thank you, dear Bette. Blessings. 🙂
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Mary Ann, your music will have been of much solace today and all times in such occasions. The few times I have been to funerals, the music is the only thing that made sense at the time, the only thing I could really take in. Bless you xx
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Thank you, Annika, for such a kind comment. At times like funerals, the music is the only comfort and solace people have. I appreciate your blessings too. Enjoy your weekend!
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Thank you for the wonderful motivation, also with this nice flowers. Michael
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As always, my pleasure, Michael. Enjoy your weekend and week ahead. 🙂
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Poignancy and resilience shine through this poem Mary Ann. Beautifully penned! Love and hugs for offering solace to the grieving. Stay blessed!
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Thank you, Balroop. You are so eloquent and perceptive. Offering solace is one of my duties as a music minister. Blessings and have a good weekend.
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I love your duty…. You are blessed!
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Thank you a thousand times over, Balroop. Yes, I am blessed indeed.
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Music, flowers and comforting words give us strength in the time of mourning. Thank you, Mary Ann, for your heart-felt post on the meaning of life and death!
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Liebe Mary Ann,
Du sprichst in diesem Beitrag ein Thema an,welches man im täglichen Leben gern verdrängt.Aber auch hier zu diesem Thema findest Du die richtigen Worte. Die Dauer des lebens für den Einzelnen ist recht unterschiedlich.Noch haben wir nur bedingt Einfluß auf die Dauer unseres Lebens.Für den Zeitraum bis zum Lebensziel versuche ich nach dem Grundsatz zu leben .- bewußt leben und genießen.Die positiven Momente in Erinnerung zu bewahren,und durch positives Denken den Tag zu gestalten.
Dir und deiner lieben Familie alles Gute und noch viele schöne Momente,
Dein Arno
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Lieber Arno,
Funerals and death are often not touched as subjects in writing or even conversation for that matter. As a music minister and a woman of faith, I can address the topic with loving understanding. If we try to walk in one another’s shoes in life, we become more tolerant individuals. I agree with you on influencing our life and the length of it. Prayer and a positive outlook are helpful. Striving to be happy and finding the joy and grace in every moment are important factors. Thank you for the kind wishes for me and my family. May you also find many joy-filled moments in life with you and yours. There is a poem which begins with “Life is for living; give it a try. Reach out and capture that joy in the sky…”
All the best,
Deine Mary Ann
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Liebe Mary Ann,
Danke für Deine einfühlsamen Worte.Alles Liebe für die Zukunft.
Dein Arno
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Lieber Arno,
sometimes simply BEING in the moment and silence work best for me. It allows my thought processes to work. I allow myself to seek solace in this manner. May you also have many moments of simply BEING and taking everything in surrounding you. Nature helps as well. Listen to the birds and gaze at the flowers and trees. There is grace in each moment.
Deine Mary Ann
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My pleasure.
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