Eulogy Girl

I was watching Jeopardy tonight and one of the answers was "what is a eulogy?"

A contestant answered it incorrectly by stating "elegy."

eu⋅lo⋅gy [yoo-luh-jee] noun, plural -gies

1.	a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, esp. a set oration in honor of a deceased person.

2.	high praise or commendation.

I've written several eulogies over the past 10 years, and I've become comfortable speaking them.

People deserve eulogies given by their relatives or friends. It's so much more personal than the standard script often delivered by clergy.

I'm especially offended when a clergy person speaks about someone they've never met.

That happened at my father's service when the funeral director failed to ask me in advance about a eulogy, and the priest denied the ad hoc request.

I seethed with anger throughout the rest of the service, wishing I could muster up the courage to push the priest aside from the podium and deliver my thoughts about Dad anyway.

It was a well-deserved eulogy, simply written by a daughter who loved her father.

I ended up giving Dad's eulogy at the luncheon reception after the service. When my aunt Millie heard what happened in church, she suggested that I do it right there on the spot.

Bless her heart, and damn that priest.

Public speaking is hard to do at first, but it gets easier with practice, especially when speaking about a loved one.

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Origin:
1585–95; < class="ital-inline">eulogia eulogia and ML eulogium eulogium

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source 

Broadcast News aka Cry Me a River

There are a couple of scenes in the movie Broadcast News in which Holly Hunter lets off steam every time she's emotionally overwhelmed.

She goes off alone and bursts into tears for a brief period, less than a minute.

Then she composes herself and re-enters the present.

I think I was the prototype for that character, except, sometimes, I don't have the control to save it until I'm alone.

When I am feeling like that, all it takes is someone saying to me, "What's wrong?"

The brief tears are an emotional "boiling over" like a pan of water on High.

Once it occurs, I automatically switch to Low and simmer. I feel totally relieved.

It used to be embarrassing, though I'm used to it now. I don't think I've had a boss, friend, or relative who hasn't seen me cry like that.

If I could turn the angry tears into a well-thought-out argument, I'd probably be further along in my career.

Mother and Daughter Now

Daughter - then

breast cancer

almost six years since my surgery. i don't feel any different than i did then, except for the time thing.
Time. As in, so much to do, so little time.
i want to see the world, on the ground, on the water, from the sky, all of it.

right now.

any takers?

Fade In

about time i started this blog. agonized over the title.
now i'm agonizing over what to write about.