To Kill A Mockingbird

As I played on Facebook tonight I was listening to my iTunes on shuffle and "To Kill A Mockingbird" came on by Elmer Berstein.

My brother turned me on to the song while in Alabama mourning the loss of our grandmother. There was something very soothing about the instrumental song as we drove through a very beautiful wooded part of the south towards Laverne, Alabama.

It was a beautiful song in a beautiful part of our country.

It seemed fitting. As my brother, sister, father and I listened to this song play in the rental car all dressed up in our Sunday's best, we were quiet. It felt like we were watching her soul leave us quietly and peacefully into the sky.

It was Forest Gumpesque to be honest.

The following year when my wife and I lost our baby, I found myself listening to this song a good bit again. It felt right to mourn the loss of the little one we never knew with this song.

Part of me wanted to believe she was sharing space in the afterlife with her great grandmother.

I don't know if ironic is the right word, but earlier in the day, the book, "To Kill A Mockingbird" came up in my class. I actually had a 5th grade student who recognized it. Not to go off in a tangent but I came to the realization that I could read it to my students and they may actually appreciate it. In addition, they expressed interest in another personal favorite, "Lord of the Flies." I really love this class.

I have little purpose for this post other than sharing my appreciation for this song and book.

It still moves me to hear this song. I miss my grandmother. She made my experience with "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "Lord of the Flies" in high school so much more enjoyable than it would have been without her.

We would call her weekly and talk about what was going on in our lives before she moved up to Ohio. She loved discussing these books with me. One winter break when we visited her in Alabama, she supplied me with enough information to impress my English teacher to a point where she pushed to give me an A as a final grade even when I was supposed to receive a B.

I also still mourn the loss of our baby, Mallory. But it is much easier when I see our littlest one walking around with my oldest and think how she embodies what could have been.

I doubt too many other people have so much wrapped up in one song.