Inkanta
Group: Admins
Posts: 1453
Joined: Feb. 2000 |
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Posted: Jan. 21 2009, 17:56 |
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I was going to post something about Ommadawn and knew that there must be a suitable topic somewhere, and then what to my wondering eyes should appear.....anyway......
My father died last week. What does this have to do with Ommadawn, you ask? We'll get to that. <-: My dad was older, but it was still a shock when he fractured his hip mid-December. He never recovered, and on 8 January entered comfort care, as per the instructions in his health care proxy. I spent the entire day with him on the 9th. December and January had been totally crap months. My ex-husband was doing some really cruel things, I'd come to the realisation that I really didn't have a relationship with my B.C. bf, my kids were with my ex for the holidays, the weather was total crap, and my brother and I had to implement the proxy order, which would in effect end my father's life.
That morning, I had grabbed a bunch of CDs off the shelf (hey, Sweetpea--they're finally in order!! ) and one of them was Ommadawn.
On my way back from the nursing home, I was hopping over the lakes and hills, from Keuka Lake, to Seneca Lake, to Cayuga Lake, and then home. Those lakes are glacially carved, and IMHO some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet. I was in a very pensive, glum mood, totally wrapped up in all the sadness of the last month and very stressed in terms of my father's suffering. I popped in Ommadawn, still deep in thought. As it started to play, the clouds gave way to a beautiful, nearly full moon. I had forgotten we were even nearing full moon. Then up the hill, around 7:00 when the recorder comes in, there were horses prancing in the field, overlooking Keuka Lake. I actually smiled and felt my mood lighten a bit. My dad had gone horse shopping with me many years ago. I ended up getting my appaloosa mare, whose registered name was Rhio's Dawn, the same week (around 1983) as I found the album. Even at first listen so many years ago and before hearing the "Horse Song," the album reminded me of horses, particularly beginning around 7:00 with the recorder. That evening, it brought back sweet memories of a time with my father.
As the music progressed into part II, it reached me in my sadness and grief like nothing else has ever done. It comforted and nourished my soul, helping me to mend ever so slightly. At least I felt much calmer after listening and that there could be happier days eventually.
The night he died, on 11 January, I had been in the nursing home and left to get back home before the weather turned awful, plus my youngest daughter was alone. I always find something to feel guilty about, and in a way I wish I had stayed, but I really expected him to be there the following day. Once again upon departure, I listened to Ommadawn. No horses in sight (it was sooooo cccccold), but the moon was rising blood red over the hills and at the same time, there were so many different colors in the clouds. In fact, I don't recall seeing the sky more beautiful than that evening, and suddenly I thought that my father was passing. I can't describe the sensation, amplified by the music and the sky. When I got home, I learned that his earthwalk indeed had ended.
I am never going to forget how much Ommadawn has comforted me in this sad time. Is it the greatest album of all time? Even though I thought the soundtrack of my life was Incantations, I apparently needed Ommadawn for this passage. IMHO it is certainly one of the greatest.
Peace,
Inkanta
-------------- "No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From: Moongarden's "Solaris."
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