Eulogy
I have struggled to find the best words to describe Lorelei. And this is what I have come up with…
Lorelei was a goddess. She was a rockstar, a visionary, an explorer. A Jesus impersonator. She was Auntie Mame. She was an artist, an eater, a tabletop-dancer, a best friend, a giver of illustrated hand-written cards.. She was a cherry tree in full bloom.
When I asked her how she saw herself, how she would like to be remembered, she said, “I am a robust German warrior.” She told me this in a text message so I googled around and found an image and sent it to her.
She texted back, “Yeah, that’s the look only a little more flaming in tight flourescent orange.” So I found another image and sent it.
She replied, “Now you know me.” and included an emoji of a T-Bone steak.
Through Lorelei I found my way into an amazing community of women...smart, strong, fun, creative women. Sometimes wild women. When I came into this group I wanted the door to close behind me, to keep us intense and exclusive. Lorelei showed me how life flows through open doors and love flows through open arms. She was always searching to bring in others to make our community better and stronger.
She taught me that you sometimes have to walk away from something comfortable to discover who you really are.
She taught me that if you don’t believe that goodness will prevail, then you are part of the problem.
She understood something else I have always struggled with… the meaning of life is in the details. She loved the ocean, but a walk on the beach was about examining every fragment and every stage of sea life.
She had a sensory perception of life flowing through inanimate objects. She was her art.
She was made of the molecules of life. Lived before her birth. The breath that ran through her was the air from the sea, her legs grown out of mountains, her beating heart was startled birds taking flight.
Lorelei followed her mentor-of-nature, Kathy Cantwell, into the forest and the field. And she beckoned those she loved to follow her. Some of us could not hike at her pace, without losing our breath.
Now she is gone from us but she is not dead. Being in nature and the elements remind us that we are made from the elements. We are not separate individuals. We are the wilderness. Go to the wilderness. You will find her there.