My husband and I sang at a funeral today.
The deceased was 100 years old. She experienced
many historical events. Women could vote in
1920 in the US. Fashion included flapper dresses.
The Charleston was the dance of those days.
The era was known as the “Roaring Twenties”
and the Jazz age and the Golden Age Boom
because of the economic boom after WWI.
The average life span in 1920 was fifty-four
whereas today it is 77 in the US. She had
excellent genes to have lived to be 100.
A touching rendition of Ave Maria was
sung by my husband. Since my teen years
of being church organist in Colorado, I
have sung for numerous funerals. It
is my music ministry. I silently pray for
the deceased. Today’s funeral was relatively
small. We not only honor the deceased,
but also, those left behind. We hope our
music is a comfort to family and friends.
Dr. Mary Ann Niemczura 
To live for 100 years is amazing. The changes she would have seen. How wonderful you and your husband could provide the music.
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Darlene, thank you for your kind comment. I can’t imagine living such a milestone but as we sang, I wondered what she had experienced in her 100 years. We also sang for another lady who achieved 103. Amazing. We love our music ministry. Have a grand weekend and be well. ^__^
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I as well often think of what the deceased saw and experienced when we sing at the funeral of those blessed with such long lives. This was a nice tribute.
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Thank you for an insightful comment, Russell. Music enhances funerals and other events. It touches our souls. May you have a lovely weekend. Be well. “”__””
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Love and prayers for family and friends…
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Bette, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind comment. We appreciate the love and prayers and return them your way. Any more snow for you? Have a great weekend! oxox
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IA dear friend of mine just turned 95. It’s wonderful to have caring friends who inspire us and share their world of yesterday. Weather A bit of a mixed shower today, but nothing left on ground–Yay! Sure to change as next week temps will be in 30s. ❤ Wishing you a wonderful weekend too!
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Bette, I appreciate your comment. Thank you. One can learn so much from friends who are 95! So far, we have had a dusting of snow and several freezes but nothing of significance. It will come though! Caring friends mean a lot in life. Be well. Enjoy a great weekend! oxox
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Beautiful poem! The word solemnity comes to mind. As they say, music is praying twice!
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Tom, thank you for such kind words in your comment. Yes, music is praying twice and even thrice! Be well and best of luck with your closing and move! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. oxox
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Your music ministry is marvelous. Thanks for those lovely photos, too.
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Anne-thank you for a lovely comment. I agree about music ministry. Meaningful to us. Hope your weekend is peachy! Be well and enjoy! oxox
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This is the peace before the storm. Lise, daughter from Denmark, is due in this week. Our lives go in high gear when she’s around — exciting but exhausting! oxox
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Anne, that’s great news. How long has she been in Denmark? I’ll bet this visit will have a whirlwind of activities. Be well and rest up. So glad international travel is allowed again. Enjoy! oxox
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Lise has lived in Denmark for seven or eight years. She has come here for Thanksgiving every year. Because of the pandemic, she couldn’t travel the world as she loves to do, so she came in the Spring. It was so much fun to see her enjoy a warmer season here. She has warned us that airplane tickets could be canceled, and in fact, she has already had to change one leg of the flight. She is used to international travel and should be able to cope with emergencies better than many. We’ll keep our fingers crossed and deal with whatever comes.
Will your family be gathering for Thanksgiving? Our governor has just set a limit of 10 for family groups.
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Anne, Lise is a trooper! I have traveled to 25-30 countries in my lifetime. But this was before the issues now. Best of luck to her. Your probably still have a warmer climate than Denmark this time of year. What is Lise’s work in Denmark? Speaking of cancelled airline tickets, there is a woman who lives in Montana trying to get here for a funeral. She has to wait for her test results before boarding and then three days in between. That is how it was explained to me. The key to traveling long distances is to have a good book to read and a compact pillow to rest your head and try to sleep a bit. We will not be gathering for TG since our son is moving into his new house in FL and our daughter has to work TG. It’s ok. We’ll figure out something here. Your governor and ours have collaborated with the guidelines of a limit of 10 in homes for TG gatherings. Let’s be well and hope all works out for the best! oxox
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Denmark isn’t as cold as some of the other European countries. Lise always hopes for snow and it’s often disappointed. On her 50th birthday, Lise traveled to her 50th country. Lise works for the French company Total. I think she’s a project coordinator, but I could be wrong. I can’t keep up with her. oxox
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I was in Denmark in summer and our daughter traveled with her class and think it might have been spring. Lise must be fluent in multiple languages too! Impressive. oxox
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Lise began learning French in England when she was about 10 years old. She had German in college. When she got a settlement from a car accident, she spent a part of a year living with a French family and months living in Germany. She met her husband there. He was an Iranian, so they began to communicate in German. They married, moved to North Carolina, and his parents would come to visit for months at a time. They couldn’t speak English, so she learned Farsi. She and her husband divorced. A mentor from the master’s degree program had lived in Denmark and suggested she go there. She learned enough Danish to pass the test for permanent residency. She reads and understands the language, but feels she needs more practice speaking it. I’ve seen the chart of vowel sounds, and it was daunting.
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Good for Lise for learning languages. She sounds smart and independent as well. Does Lise like Denmark? Where does the ex-husband live? Which language does Lise use for her job? French, German, Danish, English? Some Danish words sound like German but not close enough for her to “get by.” Rather like Dutch and German sound similar but different enough to pose problems. So you have tried your hand at Danish? Have you traveled there too? I loved Denmark, Sweden and Norway and would love to travel there with my husband. Be well. Supposedly snow for us this week. oxox
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Lise likes Denmark. Her ex lives in NC in the Charlotte area. She works in English, though a mentor in the company has encouraged her to brush up her French.
The only foreign language I read is music. Sadly, I’m not good at languages. We went to Denmark 40 years ago and liked it very much. One set of John’s grandparents came to the US from Norway. We visited family members there while we lived in England.
Good luck with your snow. Send photo(s) if you take any. oxox
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So glad to hear Lise is happy with Denmark. Norway was my favorite especially Oslo. French is so close to Eng. except for pronunciation, it should be easy to brush up on those skills. I smiled when you spoke of music being a foreign language. When I sang with a local African American gospel choir, I asked our director if the note she played was an E. I had the entire choir look at me oddly especially after the Director told them “she reads” i.e. I read music. The others instinctively sang correctly by simply listening and could easily add harmonies. If we have enough snow to do photos, you can be certain, I’ll post some of them on the blog. We shall see. Be well. oxox
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John’s cousin lives in Oslo, as does a distant cousin. While in Oslo we ate whale meat, one of the most delicious things I ever ate. It tastes like a melding of steak and lobster, truly surf and turf. oxox
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How cool! Whale meat! I bet it was tasty. Lucky you! oxox
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God bless that woman! Phenomenal. Great blog post and photos!
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Emily, thank you for a nice comment. I wonder what her birthday cake might have looked like. Be well and enjoy the weekend! oxox
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Singing at a funeral is a great source of comfort for those who have been left behind, Mary Ann.
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Peter, thank you for your thoughtful comment. I am a firm believer in the power of music. It is food for the soul and soothes who mourn. Have a great weekend. ^__^
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All of your content is just amazing 🙂
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Colorful Sisters, thank you for such a lovely comment. I post weekly on Fridays. Be sure to drop by again. Be well and have a good week. ^__^
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