A year ago on this day William breathed his last in our
arms, the conclusion of a twenty-one hour vigil after he’d been removed from a
respirator. We’d played music and
sung to him during the six weeks he was hospitalized, especially his favorite,
Stevie Ray Vaughn, over and over.
On a trip back to Chicago Elizabeth recorded “I Say A Little Prayer”, by
Burt Bacharach, with her roommate, Emily Casey. When William died, she immediately played their beautiful
rendition of the song for him one last time. I don’t have it here.
Perhaps Elizabeth does and can post it. She also sang it at Will’s memorial service.
She then played another song I’d never heard, by an artist
I’d never known. It was Antony and
the Johnsons singing “Thank You For Your Love”. In the days that followed I played it
incessantly. It was a source of
comfort and, I think in retrospect, a way of not quite letting go of William
and that concluding moment in the hospital.
As time went by I began to listen to other songs sung by
Antony. That led me to this
Leonard Cohen song. I’d
listen to various artists sing the song, but eventually returned over and over
to Mr. Cohen himself singing “If It Be Your Will.”
In short order I began to listen to Cohen and many, many
other artists sing, “Hallelujah”.
My favorite, the one I listen to now as I write, is KD Lang’s.
It is hard to describe the comfort these songs provided
between the time of Will’s death and his memorial service, and beyond. I’d lie down, computer balanced on my
chest, listen, remember, cry and think.
Certainly some of that thinking was given over to our pledge to
William. We renew it again here
today. Thanks to everyone who has
helped us make progress. We will
prevail.
“We promise to do everything in our power
to educate and inform people about drug abuse and its prevention, to provide
ever more enlightened treatment for addicts, to help make treatment options for
addicts more readily available, and to remove the stain of shame surrounding
this disease. We ask you all, as
witnesses, to give us the same kind of strength and support you have so
lovingly offered over the last several weeks, as we strive to honor our
word. Action is eloquence.”