Notes to Heaven

It is quite rare but a very joyous occasion when you have moments in your life when you feel everything pulls together physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The filming of Notes to Heaven was one such beautiful moment for me. I could see my vision of The Florence Film School and the Infinite Human Production company coming together and touching both myself in a deeply personal way, my students, the international community of Florence and through the electronic media eventually the world. It is also wonderful because we will be able to show it to the community as a special edition at The Florence International Film Festival.

I have already received several comments and blogs about the event but I would like to talk about it personally. As I wrote my final note to Peter I thought it would be much easier but I was so filled with emotion and found it so hard to say good bye. Francesca the Director had wanted to film one final balloon after the mass rush of balloons to follow with the camera so I told her it could be mind. But I really wanted to hang on as long as possible. After the amazing flurry of balloons whooshed through the city, I let mine go. I was amazed at the speed it pick up, my note acting like a propeller. It was gone! Out of my sight so fast we didn't even get it on camera! I guess I had been needing to let go of that note for quite some time.

That night I kept thinking about my note and where it had ended up. I hoped not on the windshield of some tourist driving through Tuscany but in the arms of Peter's great Soul!

Notes to Heaven

One in a while a student comes along your path who truly moves you. It's like your souls have been waiting to be touched at the same time you are afraid of the encounter because you know it will change you forever. This has been my experience will all of my students at The Florence Film School who undoubtedly has touched me in the most deeply profound way.

She came to the course wanting to do a documentary on death and how people deal with it. She formulated it into a series of interviews that would lead to an event in Santa Spirito where these selected subjects would write a letter, presumably a good bye letter to the person with whom they had been with and was no more. Then attached them to red balloons and send then upwards spiraling towards the heavens.
The story was called "Notes To Heaven" and she asked me to take part in it, which by the way I never ever take part in my students films.

Well, I just knew I had to this. This was Peter's way of helping me let go of him and move on with my life. I realized that I had never even participated in a funeral or service for him. I had just refused to let go! As I began writing this letter I had never felt so much pain, pain every where in my body but especially my heart I cried almost every day all day and I kept wondering if I was going to make it though this. My God the truth is I really didn't want to live on with out Peter.

Well tomorrow we release the balloons in Santa Spirito. So I will let you know how I feel after this great event. It is at 2:00 P.M. It is open to anyone that wants to send a note up to heaven.
Elizabeth Monroy
Florence Film School