This Side of the Veil
The Story Behind “This Side of the Veil”
It was in February of 2019 when I received the devastating phone call. My longtime friend, Alicia Rutledge, had suddenly passed away. No one ever wants to get a call like that, and this one was completely unexpected. I’d just had a visit with her a month earlier, and she was as vibrant and full of life and laughter as she’d always been in our 30+ years of friendship. Active and healthy, 54 years young, and a world traveling social butterfly with many circles of friends. I was completely stunned (along with all who knew and loved her) when her life was taken by a sudden illness that started with a common cold.
During the drive back home to Missouri for Alicia’s funeral, I relived years of memories and how she had influenced my life. We were roomies in our 20’s, dubbing ourselves “Alicia-Lisa-and-the-Kay-Cult” because we shared the same middle name along with a love of 80’s [Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam] music. If it weren’t for Alicia, I might never have pursued my music calling outside of my small town, rural St. Louis bubble. She not only encouraged me to audition for a traveling band in Kansas City, she made the trip with me to boost my courage in taking this big step. Had it not been for her support in doing that, I’m not sure I would have done it. I got the gig, and my years of singing on the road eventually led to writing my own songs in Nashville.
I thought about what I’ve learned from my friend over the years; that love is intentional…that relationships have a ripple effect…and that laughter (plus singing and dancing to 80’s music) is most certainly good for the soul.
I thought about how thin the veil is between life and death. Between yesterday and today. Between a January night when I last saw my friend, and a February day when I would be speaking at her funeral. You never know when the last time you talked to a person…will turn out to be the last time.
Years are distilled into an instant, so we should make every moment count that will become that instant. Alicia was a beautiful example of someone who didn't keep her light to herself...she shared it freely with others. How much we laugh, the way we love and do life with others is the ripple effect we leave behind, when the sands of time run out on the shore of our earthly life.
Alicia stepped from the shore of this life to “Walking on Sunshine” -- the perfect 80’s song chosen for her funeral. That’s how she lived her life on this side of the veil, and I know that’s what she’s doing on the other side.