I spent this afternoon at an exceptional person’s funeral. Her name was Margaret Ann, but my nickname for her was GiGi. For nearly three decades, we shared time together during the good times and trying times. My eulogy was for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many of her friends gathered together to grieve her death and rejoice for their time spent with her over the years. Margaret Ann was interested in education, the arts and culture, concerts, philanthropic groups, churches, ad infinitum.

Margaret Ann was born into a time in America when women had limited opportunities. She was born ½ dozen years after the 19^th Amendment ratified the right for women to vote. Neither she nor I were impressed by how far we have moved toward equality between the sexes during her lifetime.

I’m 15 years her junior, but our relationship benefited from not being a family member. We discussed things more fully than she could have discussed with her children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. It is difficult for any mother to discuss her deep-felt concerns with their children regardless of whether their children were parents of their own children.

Margaret Ann wondered about what happens after we die. She didn’t buy into the image of the pearly gates and angels with trumpets. We often would spend hours dealing with what there is on the other side of death. Those discussions were longer and more often as she grew older. She was obviously caught between missing her husband, parents, and relatives and wishing to be reunited with them. However, the notion of the pearly gates wasn’t plausible.

I loved Margaret Ann a great deal and was cautious about what I said about chatting with those who preceded us in death. I’m only fifteen years behind her, and I have dealt with not being with family and friends after I die.

During one of our chats, she pressed me about what is on the other side of death. I thought about the famous 19th-century Russian composer Mussorgsky. Mussorgsky had a close personal friend, Viktor Hartmann, who had died. Hartmann had been an architect and painter. Mussorgsky took charge of Hartmann’s funeral. Instead of giving a eulogy about Hartmann, he wrote a musical composition, Pictures at an Exhibition...it consisted of 10 movements. He rented a St. Peterburg Academy of Fine Arts building, collected 10 paintings of Hartmann, and placed a painting in each room. His composition consisted of his musical paintings of each of Hartmann’s paintings. And connected the musical paintings with traveling music. I mentioned that my favorite musical painting was the painting of The Great Gate at Kiev. She knew Mussorgsky’s work quite well.

This video consists of The Great Gate at Kiev and the picture is of Hartmann’s painting the gate. In the middle of the video is a painting of Mussorgsky.

I ended my homily about Margaret Ann by suggesting that the family and friends ponder her question about what happens after we die. Then, as an act of thanksgiving for the time we shared with her, make a list of things that Margaret Ann did to help us on our journey down the yellow brick road of life. We can’t be sure what awaits us. However, we can think about how our lives have benefitted from hers. Then, do for others as Margaret Ann did for us. Margaret Ann will live in this world through your replicating her helping us.

This is a link to GiGi’s section of my website.