CHAPTER ONE

ONCE UPON A SWAN SONG

Once upon a time, everyone knew they were loved because love was inside of everyone and all around them. Maybe it was boring, but I don’t think so, I think it was comforting like a warm blanket thrown around you, homemade chicken noodle soup brought to you when you are sick and genuinely being cared for, loved and appreciated.

Love is what pulls us through no matter who we are ~ “To Love and Be Loved is the greatest joy on earth.”

When someone dies we mourn them for the days we acknowledge their passing. Those who knew the loved one know that the mourning goes on a great deal longer because irreparable harm has been done to their heart because a big chunk is now gone. Still and all, the world continues moving ever faster day by day by day. It’s mind-boggling, gut-wrenching and heart depleting.

And that’s why we must sing the swan song because it is for anyone who is loved and has loved. It’s a call to action on a special occasion to let your loved one know how much they are loved.

So why the image of the swan? Because a swan is beauty, grace, elegance, and harmony which add up to love. Swans seem to swim around in the world and orchestrate peace. This book is what we feel when we think of Bernice. Your smiles, laughter, and love of eating go notwithstanding. But then mix your twinkling eyes with your graceful, ageless appearance (yes, even with your wrinkles) and you see time defying itself.

Mom and Dad, Aunt Bernice and Uncle George, Grandmom and Grandpa, Bernice and George we hold you in our mind’s eye dancing to the music, holding each other close, looking into each others’ eyes and smiling. There is no one else on that dance floor but you. You are not two separate entities but one dancing in space and time.

Dad has already gone back to the eternal. He’s there with his Mom & Dad, brothers, and sister, Ed, Stan and Kites probably moving us about like chess pieces to see what mischief, joy and fun they can create.

Forever in our hearts and mind’s eye will we see Bernice as the beautiful ballerina in Swan Lake. She is the young girl ice skating with her brothers Ed, Stan and Kites in Humboldt Park. And the great-grandmother – “GG” who is being pulled about by young Xavier’s hands in a joyful conspiracy of curiosity that is unequaled when you match a little one with an old one. Bernice, Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Aunt, Grandmother, Grand Aunt, Great- Grandmother, and friend shall always live in once upon a time.

Once upon a time, there was love. Somehow we got torn apart from the wholeness that love represents. You have managed to do your part of sewing people together in a holy way. Your life has been a fairytale. You and Dad, by creating your family, created a long-lasting ripple effect in this world.

Thank-you Bernice – Daughter – Sister – Wife – Mother – Aunt – Grandmother – Grand Aunt – Great Grandmother – Friend who has given yourself all these 85 years.

Your family and friends have written to you in this book. We are happy to honor the life and love of you. You allow God to shine through you and be guided by this inner sanctity. There is joy surrounding Bernice. You are love, good humor, and true grit. You are also grace, gentleness, care, and kindness. Indeed you have had a fairytale life. We could say you are a poem in motion, but the poem division has been relegated to Dad, so a Swan song suits the beauty of your moment and breath in what you have given in having lived a life of love.

Happy Birthday.
You are loved and appreciated by all of us.

~ Beth