For the last Sunday of Advent, a somber note.
Sixteen Christmases ago, while the world was singing blithely of joyous birth, we were mourning the death of our first grandchild, whose last breath came but two days after his first. The haunting Coventry Carol spoke to me then as none other. Frankly, I could not handle all the songs about a newborn baby boy; with Coventry Carol I felt merged into an ancient and universal grief.
This reminder that the First Christmas was not a facile Peace on Earth and Joy to the World, and that the first Christian martyrs were Jewish children, is for all who mourn this Christmas, especially those who have suffered the loss of a child.
Isaac Christopher Daley, I still think of you whenever I hear this carol.
As someone who lost a son, I share your grief. I relied on the music on the CD "Celtic Spirit" for solace for years. And truly enjoyed the music you posted.
Loss can be followed by much blessing and great joy, but the grief never completely goes away, nor would we want it to. Losing a grandchild was devastating; losing a child is unthinkable. Thank you for writing, Grace.
