Four years ago I went to my cousin Ashley's funeral and for the first time really understood the power of the non-spoken word. The interpreter signing for the speakers was amazing. For those of you who are unfamiliar with sign language, it is expression in face and body and the manner in which things are signed -- the physicality of the signing -- that convey the emotion and subtle nuances in meaning that hearing people express using volume and inflection. And just like some people are more dynamic speakers than others, some people sign more eloquently than others.
Beautifully.
Today I will attend the funeral of my cousin Camille, Ashley's younger sister. There will be an interpreter who will sign what words alone cannot express. It is fitting. But can anything capture Cami's vibrant spirit, the memories, the joy and the sorrow? We are all inadequate to the task.
Cami's beautifully written obituary gives a glimpse of my beautiful cousin's life:
"Camille blessed the family of Richard DeYoung and Marilyn Tiller Call with her birth on October 3, 1978. She was born deaf and loved her life as part of the Deaf community. Her life was short but her accomplishments were amazing, she was never just ordinary. ... Camille had a great time growing up in both Riverton and Taylorsville. She had wonderful hearing friends who learned sign language in both neighborhoods. Her life long Deaf friends and their families were always precious to her. Camille graduated from Cottonwood High School with honors in 1996. She was included in Who's Who of America's High School Students all three years. She graduated from Utah State University in 2000. During her college years she served as Miss Deaf Utah. She attended the Miss Deaf America Pageant three times, first as a contestant and later as a chaperone. She next served an LDS mission to Portland, Oregon and loved the Deaf community there. Her work life included teaching at the Missionary Training Center at BYU, mentoring families with deaf children and serving as an ASL instructor for Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind. She served in Relief Society presidencies and Young Women's presidency for LDS Deaf Wards. Her crowning achievements; however, were her marriage to Samuel Garcia, Jr. in the Salt Lake Temple December 28, 2002, and giving life to two special sons, AJ (Alberto Jordan) Garcia (4) and Ashton Samuel Garcia (3). She will continue to love and guide them from above."
On this day, at this time, I am especially sorry that I cannot sign.
I only have words.
3 comments:
I am so sorry to hear about your cousin. What happened? I hope you are doing well and that her family is blessed at this time.
I sometimes feel ashamed that I never practice sign language, and that it's all but gone from my memory. Cami was the inspiration for me to learn, and she was so happy to sign with me on those few occasions that I saw her and I still remembered enough to have a conversation with her. I miss her smile and the way her eyes lit up when I could sign with her.
The last time I saw her was when she was in a hospital bed in Minneapolis. I told her she looked beautiful. She told me I was lying. But as miserable as she was in that bed, she was smiling and happy to see me. I think she was always happy to see everyone.
Cami is 3 months younger than me. She is the closest cousin I have to my age. I always felt close to her, even when we couldn't understand each other. I will always remember her fondly.
Goodbye Cami.
Thanks for sharing. I am often at a loss for words to express certain emotions. The words you used in this post, however, did a remarkable job conveying your feelings.
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