Yesterday, we buried our youngest brother, Danny. I come from a family of eleven children and he was the baby. I will always think of him as a child because he never really grew up into adulthood. He held a job as a window washer in Manhattan, but he abused his body and mind with drugs and, ultimately, the damage he perpetuated on his health finally caught up with him. He had just finished another stay at a rehab facility and he was doing "good" as far as we could tell. He was starting to reach out to family members again and bringing his little boy with him to visit my family who lived in New York. When his 10 year old son couldn't get in touch with him for 48 hours, (he saw him every day) we knew the worst had happened. The toxicology report showed that he didn't die of a drug overdose. His heart just gave out. I can't tell you how sad and mournful it is to bury the youngest member of your family. I summoned the courage and resolve to honor him the best way I knew how by singing "Oh, Danny Boy" at his wake. After that, I don't remember much about the rest of the evening. I pulled my strength to complete the task from a place that I haven't tried to exercise in a long time. I used to be a professional singer in a band. I closed my eyes and the song flowed out like I was a young girl again. My gift to him and his boy. Maybe my father, God rest his soul, gave me the strength to do it. He always sat our baby boy on his knee and sang the song to him. But, wherever the strength came from, I am grateful for it. "Oh, Danny boy. The pipes, the pipes are callin'. From glen to glen and down the mountainside. The summer's gone and all the roses dyin'. Tis you, tis you must go and I must bide. But come ye back when summer's in the meadow, or when the valley's hushed and white with snow. Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow. Oh Danny boy, Oh Danny boy, I love you so." (Irish Traditional Song)
Sincere condolences to you dear friend..
Thank you.
I'm so sorry for your loss Coping.