Songs of Loss

 

First off, thank you Alyssa for giving me a reason to write.  I've been stuck in a funk for quite some time now and her "non-challenge challenge" is just what I needed to kick-start my blogging again.  (If you want to join and/or find out more about her challenge, click HERE!)

The first prompt in the list is:  Three (or however many you choose) songs that define your life and why.  Now, I don't know about you, but there are a LOT of songs that I feel have made an impact in my life so I really can't post them all because we'd be here for years listening to them.  I do, however, have three songs that define the loss of three influential people in my life that I'd like to share.  Not to be morbid or anything, but I sang these songs at each of their funerals and they just give me all the feels.

Christina Aguilera, "I Turn to You"

I sang this song for my Papa, my mother's father, at his funeral.  He was always warm and comforting towards me.  I remember he would always have treats and little gifts for me in his pocket whenever I would see him.  He smelled of tobacco and aftershave and I always remember this one silky blue button-up shirt that had Japanese-style cranes and flowers all over it.  He was a very down-to-earth person who knew the value of hard work and discipline but also had a way of making chores and other tasks fun with jokes and games.

Perry Como, "Moon River"

There are many different versions of this song by other artists, but Perry Como was one of my Grandpa's (father's father) favorite artists.  I bought him a Perry Como CD when he was admitted into hospice care and he would request for me to sing this song every time we visited him.  He was my best friend when I was little, always taking me with him to Alamoana where he would meet his friends and play chess while I would feed and chase pigeons.  Afterwards, he would take me to the toy store so I could pick something out to play with during our bus ride home.  Even as his health started declining, he was always ready to greet me with a joke or a story and a smile on his face.

Miley Cyrus, "When I Look At You"

Ask any of my siblings who my Grandma's favorite was, and they'd all tell you it was me.  She would even say so herself, because she was a tough-shit kinda lady who would tell it like it is no matter whose feelings got hurt.  She was stubborn, short-tempered and mean on the outside but she really had a great sense of humor and a huge heart and would do anything for my siblings and I.  When she met Joey, she looked at me and said, "Him?  He's not even rich!"  Seriously.  She was never really an affectionate person or the type to kiss you goodnight and she hardly ever showed her emotions, even when she was in pain.  She and I were very close and I know that I'm going to be just like her when I get older.  I think I've already got the stubborn, short-tempered and mean thing down.