Old Violin

A teen boy is asked to speak about his mother at her funeral, and to share with others not just his thoughts about her, but about their mother-son relationship. He admits that speaking in public is difficult for him and that in the past it was his mother who helped him to prepare all presentations and talks. However, the one trick she taught him was to pray, listen, and write, or draw, what comes to mind. And then, leave the cheat sheet at home and go with his heart. Nervous, he tries to share that the one thing he learned the most from her help was that he could always remember that stories that elaborated on the theme he had to talk on. Thus, he has decided to share with those mourning, a few stories that he hopes makes sense and depicts his strange, but oddly funny, relationship with his awkward mother. He tells the stories by beginning with events a few weeks before her death, then a conversation a week before her death, and then something very sweet! All the while sharing that his mother was trying to convince him to pray to the Lord about his talents, gifts, and purpose in life here on the earth. Near the end, he shares that she gave him a gift recently. She gave him a journal and some new drawing tools, She then encouraged him to draw to help him with some current challenges that she felt she was ill-equipped to deal with. By the end of his talk, he shares: "e;Family, friends, ladies, and gentlemen whomever you are, and however you knew my mom, I want you to hear this one thing and remember it. On the night that she died, I did not say a kneel by my bed type of prayer, but I did ask God, What makes me me? Why am I here? I wanted to do something nice for her. I wanted to share with her the answer."e;Discover how these few stories and events at the end or her life, helps this teen boy begin his life without his mom through an analogy that will make readers smile.