A poem to help heal

[Sunshine247]

My grandfather passed away suddenly from an aneurysm in 1957, before I was born. My grandmother was 49 at the time; he was 51; my mother, their only child, was 16. My grandmother passed away in 1993 at age 85. When we were cleaning out her things, my mother found this poem in her wallet. She had carried it there for years. It has brought me a lot of comfort over the years since my grandmother's death, and it brings me a lot of comfort now that Bob has gone up. I read it about ten times a day, at least - I should have it memorized at this point! I had bookmarks made for his memorial service with the photo of him in his brewer's outfit out on the beach with a beer in his hand, and gave them to people who came to his memorial service this past weekend. I hope this poem can bring some healing to some of you. Thanks for having a safe place for us to land when we need it. Remember - our loved ones don't want to be away from us any more than we want them to be gone. <3

To Those I Love

If ever I should leave those whom I love

To go along the Silent Way

Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears,

But laugh and talk of me

As if I were beside you there.

 

I'd come! I'd come! Could I but find a way!

But would not tears and grief be barriers?

 

And when you hear a song

Or see a bird I loved,

Please do not let the thought of me be sad 

For I am loving you, just as I always have.

 

You were so good to me!

There are so many things

I wanted still to do -- 

So many things to say to you...

Remember that I did not fear 

It was just leaving you

That was so hard to face.

 

We cannot see Beyond

But this I know -- 

I love you so!

T'was Heaven here with you!

 

~ Isla Pascha Richardson

[KayC]

Sunshine,

We are blessed already to have you here with us, you are already uplifting and encouraging others, even in your own loss.  Thank you for sharing this poem.  Your grandmother lived as a widow even longer than my mom, who did it 33 years.  Math tells me it may be 40 for me, so hearing others do it so long encourages me.

[Sunshine247]

@KayC I'm used to helping other people, not being the one who needs help. So being able to help others here, even though I have no clue what I'm doing, brings some comfort to me, so I'm not completely altruistic! But we're all on this same journey together, and pretty sure that none of us signed up for it. Some of us are further along and can guide the way. Others are stumbling along (like me). My grandmother lived longer as a widow than she did as a wife.