Stuff that Works

I got an ol’ blue shirt

And it suits me just fine I like the way it feels So I wear it all the time I got an old guitar It won’t ever stay in tune I like the way it sounds In a dark and empty room I got an ol’ pair of boots And they fit just right I can work all day And I can dance all night I got an ol’ used car And it runs just like a top I get the feelin’ it ain’t Ever gonna stop Chorus Stuff that works, stuff that holds up The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall I got a pretty good friend Who’s seen me at my worst He can’t tell if I’m a blessing Or a curse But he always shows up When the chips are down That’s the kind of stuff I like to be around Chorus I got a woman I love She’s crazy and paints like God She’s got a playground sense of justice She won’t take odds I got a tattoo with her name Right through my soul I think everything she touches Turns to gold

Ok, go back and read the lyrics carefully. I know you scanned them without reading them the first time round. They're important. Thursday was Beppe's (my Dad's mum's) funeral. She was 87 and the last of the old generation of Siebengas. End of an era. It was a huge blessing to have the whole family together. All my dad's siblings were around. Whenever I think of them all together I get a picture of...a huge herd of majestic elephants or whales...that doesn't sound very good...maybe Ents. Yes I think Ents are the best way to picture them. I feel very protected when they're around. Only one of the seven brothers is under six feet tall. They are all strong men who have undergone a lot of hardships but have a lot to show for their lives...including amazing families...and my aunt is just as strong and also has a lot to show for her life. They are examples to the next generation of Siebengas. I think there's about thirty of us cousins and quite a few great grandchildren too. I really hope we'll be able to maintain familial connections even with the grandparents gone. Jorg started a facebook group for us all...that's a start. :) Anyway, the reason for the title of the blog and for the song which I made you go back and read: With the death of my grandmother, all her stuff had to be gone through and divvied out to family members. Made me realize how what is valuable to some people is worthless to others. Listening to this song (by Guy Clark, by the way) on the way home reminded me how I'd rather have a small amount of "stuff" that "fits me just right" than a whole bunch of junk. I'd rather build into people and have meaningful relationships with people who've "seen me at my worst"and who'll "show up when the chips are down." When I die, I'd rather have a whole lot of people miss me and remember me in love than have people be burdened with having to sort through all my "stuff" and get rid of it. Stuff that's real. Stuff you feel. The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall.