I was 6 when Star Wars came out. I guess I was old enough to see it in the theatre, because I remember the experience. Justine, now 6, is really into Star Wars movies too. She dressed like Leia for Halloween. The Princess was a great role model for little girls then and now. We are both sad about Carrie Fisher’s death (as is Maki, who has been a Star Wars fan since he was very young himself.) We ALL grew up with her in our hearts.
So many beloved entertainers and cultural lights have gone out this year. This is what happens when you love people…they die. We all know it, but yet we keep loving them. People we know and people we don’t know. Its been fascinating to see Death come to the surface so much in our society this year… to join others in grief on this strange scale. As a culture, we’ve always been crazy about our celebrities—especially those who die young. But it seems we have come to a place where we imagine they will never die…even when they are of age. David Bowie died last January, nearly a year ago, and it set off a seeming trajectory for so many other lights that followed his trend. I probably noticed it more because it seemed like there was this general grief of a generation or two alongside our family’s. What a year to go! Lots of good company.
But the year ended with Carrie Fisher (one of my favorite writers, who did worlds of good towards the forces of honest sharing and mental health) and then a day later, her mother, Debbie Reynolds, one of the last queens of Hollywood’s Golden Era passed away too, we can only suspect it was a broken heart. The two were tied through so many issues, so much spotlight (negative and positive), walks through drug addiction an need for attention, etc. They were bonded in love. I can’t help but think how I would feel if my own mother died (I would want to die) or if my daughter died (I would want to die) so in this way, I can imagine a little of what they would have felt. Being a loving daughter and a loving mother, I am deeply touched by the closeness of their deaths. I think many of us are. Death is a horrible part of life (the end of life, actually) but there is poignant beauty there too. It is the end of the journey.
Let us journey well. May the force be with you.
67
WOW!! beautifully written and so thoughtful..and thought provoking …..
I feel grieve so badly ..but i also see it in my parents eyes,and that is so painful to see ..i cannot imagine how it feels to loose a child (how ever old they are)..i guess they will feel the pain until it is time for them to be again with Vern…..
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live.” – Norma Cousin
xx LOVE TO YOU ALL XX MAY THE FORCE OF LOVE BE WITH YOU XX
Well written (said) Allison. The painting is beautiful also. Death is baffling to me as much as the miracle of birth is. That may not make sense to others but for me I the two are equally mind boggling. I like Vanessa Corbin’s added quote.
Allison,
We lost a granddaughter when she was 12 to rape ad murder. It was such a loss to the whole family. So I can see how Debbie wanted to be with her daughter gone and she wanted to be with her. It is not right for a daughter to pass before a Mom. You were only 6? I was working at TRW in the mall close to the Old Crystal Cathedral.
Hugs,
Becky
My son pulled our family into all things associated with Star Wars. The movies were magical and they bring back such fond memories. Your painting of Leah is just lovely. Regardless of Carrie Fisher’s personal life, the ups and downs of what may have been, it is difficult to loose a child- certainly! I was 16 when my mother died from a sudden illness. That was 45 years ago. I remember that I didn’t bargain with God to save her. I just didn’t want her to suffer any longer. This year my father died. His was a longer journey. My father never really got over my mother’s death. There is so much my mother missed out on. My children never knew their grandmother. I had to grow up without a guiding compass- and it was not an easy thing to do. My father’s grief was just debilitating. I do not remember my heartbreaking experience to have ever caused me to “want to die”. I did come away with the deeper sense that this is not all there is in life- death is the pathway to a better place and someday I will be reunited with so many that I love. Losing a loved one -no matter how- is the hardest experience we face. It isn’t something that I understand. But – there you are- dying is part of living. Perhaps it causes us to draw those we love even closer.
John Calvin once said, “The thing of it is – we must live with the living”