Dance Me to the End of Love

I found this book, Dance Me to the End of Love, with words by Leonard Cohen and pictures by Henri Matisse, in my parents collection of art books in my father’s bedroom.  Caregivers had told us that hearing is the last to go and that we should talk to my father.  I decided that reading this book might sooth him, bring back memories and ease his transition because it perfectly describes the lifelong love and passion my parents had for each other.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get through reading it without crying and both the caregiver and I dissolved in tears.

Married for 62 years, they faced life’s challenges hand-in-hand and were each other’s best friend.  The love they had for each other was a powerful thing to watch.  We, their children and grandchildren, were witness to it multiple times over these last few years during the many health challenges of each of them.  Each time, the great love they had for each other was the catalyst for their recovery.  They simply did not want one of them to go before the other.

I dedicate this post and my earlier post, High Flight, to both of my parents and the unending love they had for each other.  My father’s passing on Saturday starts the next chapter of their love story.

Here’s an excerpt from Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen:

Dance me to your beauty

with a burning violin

Dance me through the panic

til I’m gathered safely in

Lift me like an olive branch

and be my homeward dove

Dance me to the end of love

 

Pictures of a Love Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

In mourning for my Father,

 

Related Posts:

(other posts about my father)

• Daddy’s Girl
• HeART and Soul
• High Flight
• In the Arms of Love
• Love Begins at Home
• Perspective:  December 8, 1941
• Pictures at an Exhibition
• Remembering Grandpa
• Requiem for My Father
• Sons of My Father
• The Family Man
• Veterans Day 2013