Category : Stories

Sub Category : Historical Fiction

When we had the visitation rights for my mother, a lot of people showed up, including the mayor of Cambridge, because he knew my mom.  Before he was mayor, he was a teacher at the school that my mother taught at. My voice teacher/friend came , as well as some other people from the opportunity center and someone from the recording studio, which I'll explain later about him.  We had a few days of the visitation and then came the actual funeral, which was very difficult.  I was one of the pallbearers.  The funeral was in a Ukrainian church in Hamilton, Ontario.  Before the actual funeral, my voice teacher/friend practiced a song that I was going to sing at my mothers funeral called, "Peace in the valley".  In the last chapter, I mentioned that my mother wanted that song to be played at her funeral, but I thought that I would like to sing it.  So, we practiced for a few days, but after the visitations.  Anyways, we had the service upstairs of the church.  It was an open casket, so I can see my mother, which was really hard and emotional.  There were a lot of tears in the room, even from me. I cried. My brother, sister, brother in law, sister in law, niece, nephew, aunts, uncles, cousins, my God father, grandparents on my mothers side, friends and the priest of which he knew my mother as they grew up together in Sudbury and I were all there together crying and comforting each other.  After the service upstairs, we all went downstairs of the church, where there was some food later, not a lot though.  Before the food, there were some speeches that were said about my mother.  Then it came my turn.  I picked up the microphone and I said this.  "I would like to sing a song called Peace in the valley".  My Mama told me last year that she would like this song played, but I'm going to sing it".  I almost couldnt finish talking, because I almost cried.  One of my aunts came over to comfort me.  I then said this,"This is for you mama".  I started to sing the song.  I sang it from the heart. I sang it for my mama.  I got some applause and people telling me it sounded really good.  I really wasn't looking for appraisal as I sang it for my mama but I took it and said thank you.  After all that, we went to the Ukrainian cemetary where my dad (Tato), and my dads parents, my grandmother (Baba), grandfather (Dido) were all laid to rest and now my mama will be laid to rest there beside my dad.  It was very emotional, especially when I helped carry the casket and put it into that big hole in the ground next to my fathers.  In a little over a week ago, things changed quickly and not for the better but for the worse.  I need to find a way to deal, to cope, to get through all this.  Now, I have no parents that are alive.  My mama, and my Tato (father) are both dead.  God rest their souls.