Writing through Grief

I have been out of blog-commission due to the death of my mother. I really admire people who can write or blog no matter what the circumstances. I am not like that. I wrote in my journal about my mother's death, mostly because I wanted to remember it. She was surrounded by family and friends, and it was as lovely a death as I have ever seen. However, blogging was the last thing on my mind.

A recent episode of House featured a patient who was an avid blogger. She blogged personal details about her life, through her illness, and pending death. (Dr. House figured out what was wrong with her and she didn't die.) It was interesting to see the extremes blogging can take us to.

Despite my reserve, I can see the point of blogging. It is a way to connect, to establish a network, and to communicate. It is also a legacy. We get to decide how personal we want to make it. The funeral industry understands this, as evidenced by the opportunity it gave our family to create a place where people could leave condolences to us on the Internet. This was free, but for a fee, we could have made a permanent web-based legacy.

We made a slide show of photos along with my mother's favorite song, and played this at her memorial service. It was moving, and although a part of me wants to create a lasting tribute to her memory, it is not going to be with a 2 minute slide show or a blog entry. The legacy is in how I conduct my life. I can't think of a greater tribute.