Moon Lake Serenade

June 20, 2021

Moon Lake Serenade

My sister Marika and her husband Brian reside in the country about 40 minutes outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina on a beautiful property that surrounds a small lake. They have dubbed their estate Moon Lake after the lake and it is there, in a place that my mother Marta dearly loved that she chose to have her remains scattered. 

I am not going to say a lot about Marta or go too deeply into the emotions that accompanied our gathering in North Carolina to carry out her wishes and to attend her memorial service in Winston-Salem other than to reflect that even the worst times can be made better through the love and support and good feelings that come when those who remain gather to celebrate her life.

Our family has gathered together all at the same time with increasing regularity as time has passed and it had been seemingly ages since I was together with my siblings Marika and Michele and even longer since being together with my four nephews, Jerome, Patrick, Christopher and William at the same time so it is that joy and happiness of being together, even under difficult circumstances that I will celebrate.

Marika and Brian’s property is amazing, peaceful and beautiful, with plenty of room to spread out and a number of houses that we were able to take advantage of while there. Kathy and I and a couple of the boys stayed at their main guesthouse, across the lake from the main house and we all gathered together for meals and to memorialize Marta, while having the chance to relax and enjoy the beauty of the natural surroundings.

The actual scattering of the ashes involved something that has never happened and is unlikely to be repeated as Michele, Marika, Brian and I loaded into a small row boat to take Marta out to the center of the lake, while the others present remained on shore. I think Marta would have found it amusing to see us all packed into the small vessel, and in spite of the reason we were there, we all saw the humor as well as the solemnity of the occasion.

We spent a few days there, enjoying the comradery and recalling Marta, even enjoying a night of playing pool and dancing in the otherwise empty roundhouse on the property and it was so nice to hang out with just family which included my nephew Jerome’s fiancée Francesca and Christopher’s girlfriend Sophie.

It was tougher for me after we headed into Winston-Salem. Kathy and I stayed with Jack in Marta’s condo, which was mostly still full of her belongings yet strangely empty and lonely without her there. Going through her things was perhaps the worst part of all, as somehow it just seemed wrong somehow to me, but most likely I just wasn’t yet in a place to be able to deal with it.

The memorial service itself was incredibly beautiful. A ton of Marta’s friends from Winston-Salem were on hand, it still amazes me just how many people she left such a deep impression on. Many thanks to my sister Marika and Brian who both organized and spoke at the service. A special shout out to Marta’s best friend Marni and her husband Dick, who flew in to attend the services and each spoke in the most beautiful and loving terms about my mother. Everyone should be so fortunate to have such friends. I will forever be grateful for all they meant to her and for their beautiful eulogy.