Experiencing life, grief and joy in Memphis
A funeral, a wedding and an engagement. I was part of all three during the past several days. Much has been written about “the rule of threes” and I have experienced it. Life has a beautiful affair with symmetry.
The funeral Oct. 4 was a gut-wrenching and beautiful celebration of life for Phil Trenary. The service began with an inspiring performance of “I’ll Fly Away” by Cortney Richardson and the Inspire Gospel Chorale and ended with an uplifting rendition of “Oh Happy Day” by the same group.
In between, friends and family members shared prayers, readings, hymns and reflections.
Most touching were the personal stories told by Phil’s young adult children. Each recounted their own memories of Phil and everyone mentioned Phil’s big heart, his passion, pride and love for Memphis. He was the right guy to lead and brag about Memphis.
The wedding last Monday was mine to Mary Andrews. Normally, I would not write about a wedding, much less mine, but this story is also about Memphis and the pride I have for our community. Mary and I shared our wedding with dear friends from Boise, Idaho, and in less than 72 hours we showered them with several the many treasures here in Memphis.
We started last Sunday night with a hearty dinner of brisket and pulled pork from Central BBQ and ended with the ultimate dining experience at Flight on Tuesday night, the restaurant where Mary and I were engaged.
In between was a trip to the National Civil Rights Museum; a ceremony with Judge Robert Weiss, the self-proclaimed “marrying judge”; pictures and an exchange of vows at Harbor Town alongside the Mississippi; lunch 28 floors above land at Lookout Restaurant; a walk across the river at Big River Crossing; and a wedding dinner at Paulette’s. And that was just on Monday.
On Tuesday, we took it easy. We started with a walk along the river followed by an excursion to Soulsville and the Stax Museum.
We all marveled at the talent that performed in Memphis and the impact on history and music Stax had imprinted all over the world.
On to lunch at The Kitchen in Shelby Farms Park followed by time at the Visitors Center where park ambassadors were friendly and proud to enlighten our friends from Boise about this treasure that delights more than a million guests each year.
We ended our afternoon with an unplanned trip to the Clayborn Temple, the gathering place for civil rights activists and labor leaders during the sanitation strike.
Lastly, there was quiet reflection at the “I Am A Man Plaza,” constructed earlier this year in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination.
Phil would have been proud of this “chamber-like” experience Memphis provided to our friends.
The engagement occurred later this past week when my oldest son, Cameron, proposed to his now fiancée, Erin. In true style, he asked for her hand while in Lake Como on a spectacular day in Italy. As a father, you hope and pray for joy and happiness in your children’s lives and I am blessed with all my kids.
It has been a memorable week. Call it what you want — coming full circle, symmetry — it happened in Memphis, a special place.
Michael Jung is president of The Commercial Appeal and The Jackson Sun. Find him on Twitter @michaeldjung.