GREEN MEMORIAL

                                                                       

The prairie grasslands swelled and dipped in the ocean of green. We wound our way through Wisconsin side roads, looking for the site of the celebration of the life of our old friend. Thirty years ago when we arrived in Wisconsin he was a doctoral student in my husband’s department. He was a Wisconsinite, yet through the Peace Corp he spent nearly 10 years teaching in Kenya. His Kenyan wife and three sons prepared a service to celebrate his life as a consummate naturalist, a devoted teacher, and a loving family man.

Around a corner loomed a huge red barn, not a dairy barn, but one for prairie grass farming. Other cars were parked along the road. All around the barn was prairie grass—lush, deep, and green. The wind breathed through the swaying grasses. Inside the spotless barn were pitchforks, scythes—farming instruments neatly stacked against the walls, and chairs and tables for guests. A poster praised prairie grass. A delightful grassy smell wafted through the barn. As the wind increased the green surf gently roared.

A Wisconsin meal of brats, burgers, and strawberry shortcake helped us to settle down and start meeting each other. At our table we talked about the 1950’s when Norm, his five siblings and the children of the area attended a one-roomed school—a single teacher with 25 students ranging from kindergarten through eighth grade. A woman at our table who also attended this school told of the frigid winter walks to school, the camaraderie, the pranks, the trips to big city Madison, the socializing between the children of the neighboring farms, and the life-long friendships.

I am now thinking of a memorial service held in a local Madison church. Somber organ music, doleful singing of well-known hymns, flowers, bible readings, a sermon, and eulogies dominated. The church tea that followed the service helped cheer everyone up.

This memorial service had no religiosity or spirituality. The barn was the church. The wind in the grass provided the music. It was a musical serenade to accompany and support our communal celebration. The tributes were filled with life-giving humor, shared memories of yester-year, and a recognition of a life well-lived.