Music Lyrics Monday: Don't Cry for Me.

Don't Cry for Me

Here we are again
That old familiar place
where the winds will blow
No one ever knows the time nor place 


Don't cry For me
Don't shed a tear
The time I shared with you will always be
And when I'm gone, please carry on
Don't Cry for me

No one is the blame,
my death was meant to be
Don't carry guilt nor shame
The reason why I came soon you'll see

Don't cry For me
Don't shed a tear
The time I shared with you will always be
And when I'm gone, please carry on
Don't cry for me

Don't cry when life is not the joy it should be
With life comes pain
Soon time will end this course appointed
and you will be rewarded
and all the world will see

Don't cry For Me
Don't shed a tear
The time I shared with you will always be
And when I'm gone
Life still carries on
Don't cry for me

We'll always be
don't cry for me

~ As sung by CeCe Winans

Auntie and the six pack!

_________________________________________

I woke up this morning feeling a little bit lighter. Encouraged by my sister's memory and all of the love that so many people have been showing. Encouraged by the energy . . . the all of it.

This song was playing on my mental iPod as I fell asleep. I pulled it up on my real, true iTunes and listened to CeCe singing softly in my ear. I smiled and wept simultaneously. I liken it to a "sun shower" -- my favorite kind of rain.

Yesterday was tough and beautiful at the same time. Some of Deanna's closest friends streamed in and the sight of them without her was a lot to bear. But again, it was like a sun shower. Fleeting, warm and still filled with light.

Light.

Light, like her. Light, like air. Light, like grace. Light, like peace.

Yeah. So it's crazy. The more I think about it the more I realize that this is how I feel overall. Unusually peaceful. I am constantly amazed by the number of provisions that were made for us. Like being able to spend every day with Deanna with our kids for nearly eight months before she passed. Like Harry being home that night (when he normally isn't) so that he could go to get the kids from school. Like somehow having the forethought to tell my mother not to go into Deanna's home when she arrived on Thursday because nothing good could come from her finding her own child lifeless. Like my brother and sister-in-law being near enough to get to Mommy first and kind officers who showed empathy for our family.

See? There were provisions. Provisions, y'all!

Like me not needing Deanna to get the kids on Monday, which allowed her to be with Will's kids instead. She straightened hair and made them laugh and did the things that she always did. And then she was with Isaiah and Zachary on Tuesday and Wednesday. Which was perfect.

Mommy and her girls!

Jo with the fro!

Our whole family was together at homecoming this year. And, like I said before, it was one of the best homecomings ever. She agreed that it was and that weekend made her happy. This, too, was a provision. And truthfully, the list goes on and on. So many provisions. And even clarity that they are just that. Which, if you ask me, is yet another one of God's merciful provisions.

Hey! That's something to shout about!

I'm rambling. Ha ha. Sorry. I hope it's okay.

So what else?  Oh. Some pictures. Yes! Pictures. Because I am feeling like showing you these pictures of us healing together will do your hearts good. Like it will somehow, some way do for all of you what it has been doing for all of us.

Two of my linesisters were two of Deanna's best friends. Ursula and Sara both came to be with our family and I know it meant a ton to my mom. It meant a lot to me, too.

Gamma Tau Spring '92 girls!

You know what? I was just thinking. The scarves were another provision. A tangible thing to wrap around us and feel her. It's unbelievable how many of the special people in Deanna's life have at least one of these scarves. Lucky, lucky us.

My sissy's linesister

Nikki and Bert

My other big sis, Frannie!

Auntie's two eldest nephews

Steve F. and Ramon K., fellow Tuskegee alums

Sweet boy.

And then. There were the kids. Once again, the kids came through. Last night, it was my little godson, Jackson who saved the day. He made Poopdeck smile brighter than anyone else. That little pumpkin jumped straight into his arms and didn't let go. Yet another provision. :)

Baby J. and Poopdeck.

We had a candlelight remembrance in Deanna's memory last night. All of us stood in the cool evening breeze sharing and hugging and remembering. Nobody got too cold since we all had our Auntie Deanna scarves! There were some tears. But mostly there was joy and peace.
 

Three of my MAIN MEN.

Lisa and Poopdeck.

Will and Chris

Heather and Frannie

 And this. Look at this. (Okay, you'll have to click the image to see it clearly.) JoLai made this when she woke up this morning.

Draper Four Forever

Oh and speaking of JoLai--JoLai just said that mostly she feels okay. Outside of these moments where she wishes she had a punch bowl to drop on the ground like Florida Evans on Good Times.

 

I thought that might lighten y'all up some. Quietly, I think all of us have had a Florida Evans moment since this has happened.

That JoLai. She's something special. Remember how I told y'all about her being the "friend hoarder?" Well I am learning that she wasn't the only one. Deanna was a friend hoarder, too. And she was even worse than JoLai because she hoarded friends in real life and then had a whole 'nother collection of them stacked up neatly on line.

Shout out to all of Deanna's virtual buddies! Hey y'all!

What else? Oh! We're almost done finalizing things for a memorial service. It's going to be on December 8 so save that date, okay? Time and details to follow. I promise to post them where you can see them. No open caskets or any such thing. Just a celebratory homegoing for our beloved Deanna!

And now for some sisterly silliness. Because Deanna loved silliness. Especially between sisters.

Ha ha ha. This would have been the screensaver on her phone. Or posted on Facebook, I'm sure. Pictures rock.

Which brings me back to this one again.

Super Auntie!

I took this picture myself. Tounces has everyone wear these t-shirts that she dyes every year for photos. I remember insisting that everyone just "love on each other" instead of being all "posey posey."  Isn't this a great pic? My favorite part is Zachary laying on her bosom. Ha! I just love that this photo exists.

Sigh. Yeah.

So . .. . .I guess that's all I got for now. Promise to talk to y'all again soon, okay?


***
Happy Monday.

And for your listening pleasure--CeCe Winans singing "Don't Cry for Me." Thank you, Ms. CeCe for ministering to me this morning.