Goodbye

I want to thank all of my friends again for their support and help. Many of you have listened to my ramblings and confessions on the last few days and how hard they have been and without you, I could not have done it. With that said, I have a few things to share with everyone, I hope you read them and enjoy them. As Paul said to me, The Compass was made to be a celebration of human life and creativity, and my Grandmother deserves to be celebrated. A special thanks to Paul for that.

First, my mother, three aunts, and two uncles asked me to write my grandmother's obituary. As my mother said, it was a "labor of love" It's simple and heartfelt, and it will be in local papers tomorrow, for any of you who live in my area. From a writing standpoint, its like getting published in the worst way possible. Without further ado, here is her Obituary, for those of you who knew her, and those who didn't.

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Catherine “Kit” Bane of Elizabeth, PA returned home to her heavenly father on August 4, 2010, she was 87 years old. Catherine passed away surrounded by family in Jefferson Hospital. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Robert Thomas Bane and 2 grand children.

She is survived by a thriving and devoted family; foremost, her four loving daughters: Patty Bales and husband Corbin of Lordstown OH, Marion Lewis, with whom she resided, Roberta Bashioum and husband Richard of West Newton, and Kathy See and husband Raymond of Belle Vernon, as well as her adored sons, Robert T. Bane Jr and wife Jenny of Fallowfield Township and Dennis Bane and his wife Crystal of Fredricksburg VA. An astounding 26 grandchildren, 50 great grandchildren, and 4 great, great grand children also survive her. She was enormously and undeniably loved by each and every one of them.

Catherine was born in Chaleroi PA on Augsust 19, 1922. She spent the majority of her life an active member of the local area. She worked for 30 years at K-Mart in Pleasant Hills as a sales associate, as she was always a very sociable woman. In addition, Catherine was very spiritual as she was deeply committed to her Catholic faith and her church. She often taught Sunday school classes and volunteered baked goods for numerous church related events. In her spare time, she thoroughly enjoyed cooking numerous treats and playing bingo with her beloved daughters and other family members weekly. In addition to the great mourning of her extensive family, Catherine will be sorely missed by her furry friends, Sweetheart and Princess. –Luke

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Finally, to end this post, a piece I wrote for her. It wrote itself, after I left her hospital room it was on the tip of my tongue, and has been until it all spilled out on paper roughly an hour ago. Its just as much for my mother and my family as it is for her. I understand many of you never had the chance to meet or hear of my grandmother, but as far as the post is concerned, her husband, my grandfather died many many years ago before my birth, before even my mother married my father. Needless to say,my gram has been waiting a long time in hopes of seeing him again, and now, in my words, she can.

I hope you guys enjoy it...

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A Reunion

It was as if she were gliding across the field, not walking. She felt light, airy, and relaxed. She let her free hand brush against the tall standing grass and chuckled as the wheat brushed against her bare legs. She held her suitcase against her hip and pulled up the base of her sundress as she took long, reaching steps through the endless field of gold. She lifted a hand above her brow, searching with her auburn eyes and all of the sudden, she saw him. The excitement that filled her spilled out like waves over a dam. Her heart thumped and her mind raced with all the things she had forgotten to say. She took off in a sprint, suitcase bouncing behind her and hand waving high in the air. She felt the wind in her hair and the sun on her shoulders and she could not remember a finer moment. She cherished the feeling, drinking it in as his beaming face came closer and closer to her own. In three quick steps she dropped her bag and dove into his open arms, planting a kiss that Clark Gable would admire on his smirking lips. And he held her, and it was perfect. They stood like that, a wonderful moment in time, for what could have been an eternity. Her hands found his, searching his palms for the lines, ridges, and calluses she knew so well. He smelled faintly of sweet tobacco, just as she remembered. She ran her fingertips through his soft hair and their eyes met, both running with tears of joy, and he whispered to her, “How ya been Jess?”

Many minutes later, when she had finally found her voice, the pair settled down under the large Oak tree he had stood under waiting for her. She had so much to share with him and could not even imagine where to start after a lifetime of waiting. She had missed him so unbelievably much. All of the bitterness, anger, and sadness that she once had felt as a young woman were not to be found. Such emotions and thoughts seemed so silly to her now. She started with their sweet children and all she thought he had missed out on after he left. He surprised her with how much he already knew. It seemed that he never truly left them. He was always close to their boys and girls, his own heart was just too big to ever truly cease. Instead of telling him about her life without him, they instead reminisced, about their life together, as he had never gone too far. She lay her head on his lap, her long dark hair spilling across his knees and spoke of the darkest times, just after he had been called away. His smile fled for the first time since their reunion and he listened sadly, nodding here and there, all the while comforting his love. Time progressed, and they spoke of their babies, no longer young spring chickens themselves. She told him story after story of their great accomplishments and their disheartening defeats. She was so pleased with all of them; her voice rising and falling dramatically as she spoke with such great pride of the many moments they had filled her with joy. He closed his eyes and imagined them, standing along each of them, filling their hearts with encouragement and love. He thought of the times his heart broke with theirs and he had laid a consoling hand on their shoulders and pulled them up, urging them to move on. Move on they did, all to start wonderful families of their own. His eyes lit up as she described each and every grandchild they both shared. And just as she did for her beloved children, she spoke of their accomplishments. He heard stories of dozens of graduations, marriages, and births. He laughed at her sprawling descriptions of strikeouts, proms, travels, and celebrations. As their wonderful afternoon wound down, she grew quiet and tired, feeling lazy in the sunshine. She patted his knee and said, “Is it time to go home yet, Tommy?” He smiled and shook his head, and she heard him say, “Not quite yet hun” as she drifted off to sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, she felt so very tired. She was in a dim room with soft music. Noises hummed around her and everything seemed quite far away. She realized she was in a hospital bed surrounding by machines. For a moment, she felt fear and panic at these new unfamiliar surroundings, but it did not last. She looked up and found Tommy standing next to her, he reached out his hand and took hers and looked at her reassuringly, telling her everything was going to be okay with his eyes. Just like that, she relaxed. She ignored the room and her whereabouts and instead focused on those around her. They came like a magnificent slideshow, an epic parade of love. One after another, all of those wonderful souls she had just so recently reminisced about came to fruition, and both her and her Thomas beheld them. There were no words for her, they weren’t necessary. She spoke to them each with her heart and her warm eyes. As more people filled the cold empty space that was just an ordinary hospital room, it transformed. They filled it and her with warmth, light, and comfort. When it seemed that there was possibly no more love to be had even in the entire world than she now possessed in her small bed, they all came to her together. As they entered, her sweet husband lifted her into his arms. They gathered about her and him, they’re hearts swelling, all outstretching, and lifting her with him. She shed the machines, the bed and her clothes and lifted up, completely free from her mortal coil. As Tommy pulled her up she felt the sublimity and pure perfection of this moment, and she could not help but cry. He bathed her in light and she focused on his face, smooth, handsome, and young…

She exhaled as she awoke from the dream. She was still in his arms, as he walked steadily away from the tree. The dream faded as dreams do and she wiped her tears on Tom’s flannel shirt, and whispered goodbyes to all of them. She looked back at where they had spent the afternoon and saw her luggage lying beside the beautiful old Oak, but she did not have the faintest desire to reclaim it. She was not forgetting her bags, she was shedding them, letting them go. She smiled and rested her head against his chest, as they walked through the field once more. As they reached its edge, she saw what she knew was their house, except now it was surrounded by the most beautiful white picket fence. The same fence she had so often dreamed of as a girl, and she was free.

-Luke