Memories of Myles

It's coming up on the anniversary of Myles' death, following his car accident.  He was my choir director, and friend.  I still think about him sometimes, especially when I am cantoring at church. I remember his kind smile, his warm greetings, how he guided me as a singer.  And sometimes, I ask him to pray or intercede for me when I am singing.

Here is the Eulogy I wrote for his funeral:

Myles, your life was a gift to the people of Saint Leo’s, and all the other churches where you directed choirs.  You shared your talent with us, and your love of music inspired us to grow in faith.  As you are in heaven, playing music with Bach, and the angels, we will carry on your legacy.  You have many friends, from many places.  Your life got cut short in the middle of several ongoing conversations that were never finished.  But we have our memories of you, and those we will keep.

Your spirit is alive in the music.  You are gone, but I can still see you.  I can still hear you.  I can still remember you, like you are here beside me, talking to me.  I can still see you take a sip of your water bottle between songs, I can still listen to the comments you make, your words of encouragement.   I can still feel your love of music, the way you improvise on the organ, the way you tap your feet on the pedals, your artistic style.

One night this spring you and I stayed after rehearsal to practice one of the songs from the Glory and Praise Book.  We didn’t just practice that one song.  We went through half the book, and part of another volume.  We were having a great time, so we practiced for an extra hour and a half, all for the love of music.

Over the summer you would make me accompaniment files to practice with and to use on Sundays. One time you mentioned that you were listening to talk radio in the background while you made the accompaniment.   You had once told me you were into politics.  Little did I know at the time, but I found out after your death, that you had quite a following on the Howie Carr Show.

You also keep us on our toes.  We had been singing the mass of Resurrection for months.  So that’s what the singer expects, we have our paperclip on the page, and the numbers circled.  Then one day, about 10 seconds before the Holy, Holy, you said, “we are switching to Mass of Creation now." I frantically tried to find the page number but couldn’t find it.  I was panicking, and you just said “Here we go, you know it” and started to play the intro.  Luckily, I did remember the music once you started to play.  There was never a dull moment with you Myles.

You were like a Musical Father to me.  You were gentle, encouraging, and you would challenge me.  A few times you had me come up with my own tune for the Gospel Acclimation.  You let me do what I didn’t know I was capable of.   You helped me grow in confidence, and acceptance of my own voice.

You did this for everyone; you brought out the best in us.  You smiled at us.  You stopped to say hello every time you saw us, and that alone is worth a lot.  I never wanted to miss Choir Rehearsal Myles, not just because of the music, but because of you.  You made me feel important.  You made me feel loved.  You made me feel cared for.  I will remember you forever, and I will always miss you.  I have the greatest respect for you, and I will continue to sing for you.  Myles, it was a privilege to know you. Thank you for your friendship Myles, Thank you.