The observation that a multitude of hitherto trivial incidents and everyday items become painfully poignant following the death of a loved one is little more than a pedestrian sentiment. Still, some sentiments, whether pedestrian or profound, demand acknowledgment.
Familiar TV shows, old movies, specific dates, trinkets, and favorite foods are a few of the instances today that called Lady Lawanda to mind.
Songs, however, have proved especially moving. Last week, Duke of Derm reminded me of a song, one of his favorites and one I had almost forgotten, that has remained in my mind and my heart.
Warren Zevon wrote and performed “Keep Me In Your Heart” after he was diagnosed with inoperable mesothelioma.
Keep Me In Your Heart
By Warren Zevon
Shadows are falling and I’m running out of breath
Keep me in your heart for awhile
If I leave you it doesn’t mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for awhile
When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for awhile
There’s a train leaving nightly called “when all is said and done”
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Sometimes when you’re doing simple things around the house
Maybe you’ll think of me and smile
You know I’m tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you
Engine driver’s headed north to Pleasant Stream
Keep me in your heart for awhile
These wheels keep turning but they’re running out of steam
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Keep Me In Your Heart by Warren Zevon
[Read more →]
Tags: Friends-Family · Music
June 3rd, 2008 · Comments Off
The Blog and The Lady
It is hardly surprising that thoughts of Lady Lawanda have dominated my thoughts since her death yesterday morning. In hopes of transforming this obsession into a shared joyful remembrance, I’ve put together a few Heck of a Guy blog references to the charismatic, lovely, and beloved Lawanda.
Teach Your Children Well
Lady Lawanda was, in fact, the primary author of Teaching The Children A Lesson, a lesson plan so impressive that I dared publish it as a post.
Portraits of a Lady
The Heck Of A Guy’s Image According To Google, a post on graphics from this blog that earned high rankings on Google, features not one but two photos of Lawanda.
Excerpt #1:
Eliciting high rankings for graphics from a blog with a limited (but high-class) readership and few incoming links from reputable sites does call for quite specific search terms, but, to use an extreme example, seeing a mug shot of the irresistible Lawanda, costumed as a goatee-wearing construction worker, show up as #1 of 1400 results for “Teacher Lawanda,” #3 of 44,900 for “disguised teacher,” #5 of 60,200 for “disguise teacher” and #1 of 1370 results for “Lawanda Disguise.” is wonderfully gratifying. The caption is a nice bonus.
Excerpt #2:
Yep, pictured on the right in that graphic are the often emulated but never duplicated Lawanda and Hippie With Tiara, who were indeed instrumental in preparing – and consuming – that night’s batch of the chocolate vodka elixir. This same photo, incidentally, is the second graphic on the second page of the search results for the more general “Chocolate Vodka.” And, if one enters “Melted Chocolate Vodka” in the Google Image Search, this portrait of our heroines holds the #1 ranking.
Lawanda’s Bestest Christmas
Returning readers may recall that the last two holiday seasons have featured Lady Lawanda’s Christmas Gift to Heck of a Guy Readers in the form of Wishing You The Bestest Of Christmases.
The Road to the Final Four Won’t Be The Same
Item #7 from 10 Things I Like About The NCAA Basketball Tournament is this excerpt:
7. Enlightenment
I have had the honor and privilege of facilitating the inconceivable LaWanda’s entry into the spiritual realm of basketball understanding. I’ve watched over her as she has discovered the quintessential purity and joyfulness that is the pick and roll, as she grasped the nuances of the over & back rule, and as she incorporated into her core intellectual processes the key strengths and weaknesses of the full court press.
The Posts About Health
Earlier posts addressing Lady L’s health problems include
The first two of these illness-related posts showcase specific songs while the third features, of course, a tattoo.
Lady Lawanda was also quite taken by the patient compliance ideas she found at my AlignMap site and, in fact, regularly promoted those principles and AlignMap to the many healthcare professionals with whom she came into contact. She also snapped this photo of a sign in a doctors’ office she visited.
That sign was the foundation of the post, Another Approach To Compliance. The tone of the piece can be extrapolated from this excerpt from the opening:
Welcome To Dr. Friendly’s Office
Captured during a doctor’s appointment by the patient, an admirably camera-ready friend, the sign in the above photo is an exemplar of everyday clinical office practices that are incongruent with the highly promoted and almost universally endorsed patient-centric approach (which is apparently interwoven with but not identical to patient empowerment) held by some to be the key to enhancing adherence to treatment.
It’s also evil on so many levels that I find it difficult to decide which I find most offensive.
Nonetheless, I’m willing to give it a shot.
It’s Good To Be The Queen
Lawanda was also the photojournalist for the surprisingly popular The Heartland Spa Photodocumentary, which included the following evidence of the Clothes Fairy Effect:
While there were no confirmed sightings of the Clothes Fairy, Lawanda did capture the actual results of her exertions. The guest simply deposits the dirty clothing on the heart-shaped mat, thusly,
Shortly thereafter, the Clothes Fairy whisks away the nasty duds, replacing them with a clean, neatly folded outfit, thusly,
Très cool, eh?
As that post noted,
It’s good to be the Queen
Footnotes
_____________________
[Read more →]
Tags: Fascinations · Friends-Family
With the same courage, understanding, and grace with which she lived her life, Lady Lawanda died this morning.
Almost two years ago, on the deck overlooking the back lawn, she I and first listened to the songs from Anjani’s Blue Alert album. Aware of her prognosis even then, she was at once taken by the words and sounds of The Nightingale and arranged for it to be played at her memorial service. Many times since then, especially in the days and weeks just past, she turned to this same song which resonated deeply with something inside her to provide comfort and strength.
Nightingale, sung by Anjani
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I built my house beside the wood
So I could hear you singing
And it was sweet and it was good
And love was all beginning
Fare thee well my nightingale
‘Twas long ago I found you
Now all your songs of beauty fail
The forest closes ’round you
The sun goes down behind a veil
‘Tis now that you would call me
So rest in peace my nightingale
Beneath your branch of holly
Fare thee well my nightingale
I lived but to be near you
Though you are singing somewhere still
I can no longer hear you
[Read more →]
Tags: Friends-Family
June 1st, 2008 · Comments Off
In honor of Lady Lawanda, who continues on her expected course at hospice, surrounded and beloved by family and friends, today’s offering is an up tempo version of one of her favorite songs, Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne,” performed by one of the singers she admired most, Nina Simone, in a manner that calls to mind (or at least to my mind) a church choir solo on a Sunday morning in June.
Credit Due Dept: While Lady L and I have listened to my MP3 version of this piece for some time, I was unaware that it was available on YouTube until I found it posted on Dance With Your Legs at Nina Simone doing Leonard Cohen
[Read more →]
Tags: Friends-Family
