Teisha's Memorial - Scott Weddle inspired by his muse

I have been a friend of Teisha's since we started a band together back in the year 2000. She was one of the funniest and joyful people I ever met. What I am hoping to do today is to offer some simple suggestions to all of you - of how you might honor Teisha's life and memory after you leave here today. She had so many things she wanted to do and I know she would be happy for all of us to pick up and run with them. So, here goes.

1. Belly Up - Teisha loved to eat. Comfort food was her favorite. Mac and cheese, fried catfish, fried chicken, corn dogs, spaghetti with cheese and bacon and that's just tip of the caloric iceberg. Teisha approached her Grandma Kay's lefsa the way great white sharks approach plump baby sea lions.

About 4 years ago she lost her ability to taste. As you can imagine, this really put a cramp in her style. So, while tears are certainly appreciated today, and well wishes too - if you want to honor Teisha, it's time to put your fork where your mouth is. Order big… and savor the taste of it. Regret it later… but eat!

2. Rock the kit – all right kids - good news, and sorry parents… the guy at Teisha's service says you can have a drum kit. It might get loud and it will most likely be painful. But T loved playing drums more than just about anything else. She was a natural. It was music she could make when her voice wouldn't cooperate and when she just wanted to hit something.

If you in the audience have never experienced a drum set, then you have not felt one of Teisha's greatest joys. Well… this is your chance. Learn a few beats, put on Michael Jackson's Off the Wall… and rock the kit. That's what she did. That's what she would want you to do.

3. Better Homes and gardens - Teisha loved houses. Details of every home she had ever been inside seemed to stick with her. With some clever financing Teisha bought her first house not far from this church when she was just out of college and struggling to pay the bills as a real estate agent. That was just the beginning… Teisha would go on to buy more houses of her own and to be involved in buying or selling of many more.. most likely for many of you that are here today.

When she began to write songs one of the first she wrote was a love song… to a house. The subject of the song was a house she had sold but the song was called, "You Belong to Me" … present tense . If she had written this song to a person, it might have earned her a restraining order. She REALLY loved that one. And didn't want to let it go.

She worked on her houses constantly… painting, refinishing, knocking down walls, and landscaping. The worst sin in Teisha's mind was the deferred maintenance of a house. She would remind you to take better care of yours. So, take her advice and keep it sturdy, keep it strong!

She wanted everyone to realize their plans for the perfect abode. So, be bold! Knock down some walls! (with the help of a licensed contractor, of course) Refinish those floors! Take out that popcorn ceiling! But above all… protect your resale value!!! And when you are ready to buy or sell, Teisha would surely remind you that Deb and Sandy are just a phone call away.

4. Freeedom Fries - Teisha loved France. Actually she was sort of obsessed with it. She loved the music, art, history, fashion, food and of course wine. She had visited as a 9 year old with her mom, lived there as a student, and returned many times as an adult, including once as recently as last year. She often spoke to her standard poodles in fluent and perfectly delivered French… perhaps out of frustration at the dogs' inability to ever grasp English? Teisha was a Francophile's Francophile.

Teisha would certainly encourage you to visit her adopted French homeland OR at least take a crack at learning some French phrases to try out on your dog or cat. She would be just as happy if you would put on high heels and your most stylish clothes and step out for a nice dinner and a glass of burgundy. Extra credit will be given to anyone that grows a pencil mustache, dons a beret and scarf and rides a bike to a bakery to buy baguettes. That's commitment.

5. Firestarter - My theory is that Teisha was an undiagnosed and high-functioning pyromaniac. If the temperature dipped below a frosty 75 degrees, regardless of season, she lit a fire in her fireplace. At certain times of the year her house was barely visible behind cords of freshly-chopped firewood. In addition to the fireplace, a disconcerting number of candles would always be burning… at all times in all rooms. Sometimes the fireplace and her gas furnace working together would make her house hot enough to conduct a Native American sweat lodge ritual.

So…. this one is easy folks. It's getting cold out so, if you have a fireplace…make yourself a nice fire. If you don't - some candles will have to do. Send Teisha some smoke signals. She will get it.

6. Musical Chairs - The Chinese term feng shui literally translates to "wind-water". Teisha didn't speak Chinese, so she interpreted the ancient Eastern concept to mean "move your furniture around constantly". Teisha's wholesale rearranging of her belongings was legendary. Rooms and furniture changed like the seasons of the year. The bedroom was upstairs, than it was back down. The study became the music room which became the pantry. If you fell asleep on a futon in one room, you might wake up in another room.

Her house was her canvas and furniture was her pallet. Furniture placement was something Teisha could control. It made her feel good to alter her layout. So, here is where you come in. You know that huge couch you have that it takes everyone in your family working together to move? Well Teisha would like you to grab that sucker and move it to another room - preferably up a flight of stairs. Put it somewhere it fits - or doesn't really fit… in your own interpretation of feng shui. The perfect furniture combination is eluding you. Be sure to lift with your legs.

7. Getting Better - Teisha worked to get better at everything she did. Despite her health struggles she was determined to improve herself. She recently took 30 hours of coursework to keep her real estate license current. She honed her creative writing skills by maintaining an on-line blog. Whenever she was well enough she took painting and drum lessons, and every chance she had she made efforts to lift dumbbells and go on walks to keep herself in shape physically. She even showed up for jury duty!

Maybe more than everything. Teisha practiced her guitar… a 60's Silvertone acoustic. It was her lifeline and it connected her to her past, AND to the future she saw for herself. She sang Amelia songs, wrote new ones, and learned songs by artists she loved like Patti Griffin and Elliot Smith. She even set up regular solo gigs on Tuesdays at the chicken wing restaurant across the street from her house.

As recently as two weeks ago, I received a phone message from Teisha. She was on enough drugs to knock any of us unconscious but she was working on a song and needed help learning a chord. Her message said, "hey, I just had a guitar question so whenever you get a chance, I just want to know when you are trying to learn a new chord, like, I'm trying to learn FM7 and it sounds like (bleep)… do you just sit and play it over and over and over? I know it sounds like a dumb question but its all I got".

Teisha wasn't sitting back feeling sorry for herself… she was preparing a comeback. And man, her comeback was going to be glorious. Please honor Teisha's life and indomitable spirit, by challenging yourself to learn new things and to be better at everything you do.