This blessing is a question
Just a thought I'm throwing out….
It is actually less a blessing
than something to think about…
Although it is inevitable…
for death we cannot defy…
If we remain in the hearts of those we leave behind
do we ever really die?
When a friend of ours dies…who in our life has played a part
it is with the deepest sorrow we add thier tombstone to the cemetery in our heart.
Why her? Why him? Why now? We asked ourselves as we desperately try to cope
for a while we are thrown off balance…our life is out of focus…we lose our hope.
There is no right or wrong way to confront death…despite what the experts say
we’ll struggle through our sorrow…our grief…and all the while we will pray
for strength and courage and guidance as we solemnly whisper their name
knowing the life we knew up to this point…will never be the same.
It’s as if death has infected our bodies in an instant…overnight…
and our world…once awash in color…has turned to black and white.
At first their memories are fresh…and our sorrow may paralyze…
but then while cloaked in sadness…we begin to realize
they would not want us to remain sad forevermore…
and we try to go on living…the way we lived before.
Slowly with the help of our family and our friends…the healing process begins
and over time, with their help, the color seeps back in.
And we find a place for those we lost in our memories
next to the memories of others who in our life played a part
where we can visit them as often as we like…in the cemetery in our heart.
It’s a quiet, solemn place that has no complement…no parallel
the final resting place where our memories go to dwell.
Where we can walk among them any hour…any minute of any day.
Where the ones we’ve lost forever…are never far away.
We never know when our grief will end and when the healing process will start
But we can take some solace knowing their memories
will always have a quiet place to rest
in the cemetery in our heart.
Today I’m once again thankful for children…
And how with innocence and purity they’ve been kissed
giving them the ability to see and feel things
we adults oftentimes have missed.
Which is why we need to make an effort
as within us more and more years and information are compiled
to try to find that innocence and purity in ourselves…
and if we can’t…
to rediscover it in a child.
A favorite memory of her grandma began before she could even say a word…
In her Grandma’s backyard, sitting on her lap…tossing seeds out for the birds.
It’s where her love for her grandma and birds began…where her imagination first stirred.
It’s where (I imagine you can guess what it was) she uttered her first word.
She remembers Grandma saying, “We only feed them seeds…we never feed birds bread.”
It’s where she learned her colors…blue, black, yellow, green and red.
It’s where she learned to count…it’s a memory that lingers….
how some days there were more birds in Grandma’s yard…than she had toes and fingers.
She remembers Grandma saying, “I live in this big house on my own…
and when you’re not here…with all these birds…I never feel alone.”
Her mom was worried about her on the day of her grandma’s funeral…
she hadn’t said two words.
Until, at the cemetery, she pulled a bag of seeds out of her pocket saying,
“This is for the birds.”
“What do you mean?” Her mother asked as handfuls of seeds were thrown.
“It’s to remind the birds that Grandma’s here…so she’ll never be alone.”
Now, whenever she visits her grandma’s grave…she kneels down…
she whispers a few words…
then she plants some flowers for her grandma…
and spreads some seeds out for the birds.
Today I’m thankful for shooting stars…who prove quite effective
on helping us in life…keep a healthy and optimistic perspective…
For shooting stars all know…once from the sky the heavens free them….
only those of us looking up…will ever get to see them.
I stopped to admire the stars this morning long before my walk was through.
When the moon has set and the sky is clear it’s something I often do.
As I stood there gazing up…there…in the blink of an eye
I saw a shooting star streak across the sky.
I often look for shooting stars and, I imagine, you’ll agree…
It’s ironic on a night I wasn’t looking how a shooting star found me!
Seeing a shooting star is magical as it flashes then disappears without a trace.
So I took a moment to remember all I could about that time and place.
I was standing next to a magnolia tree…
it’s one bloom in the morning breeze swayed.
And I wondered if that bloom refused to close last night
or was getting a head start on the day?
I heard a night owl hoot…her song crisp and clear and clean.
And I wondered since she’s up at night…
how many shooting stars she’s seen?
I didn’t ask the owl about it…or the magnolia tree.
Sometimes with the magic of nature…it’s best to let it be.
No, I was content for the three of us to sit back and admire
one of life’s evanescent moments that flash briefly…then expire.
A reminder of how each moment when it arrives is significant in its own way
Beautiful and vital for but a moment before it quickly fades away.
It was a moment like no moment ever was…or ever again will be…
and I felt blessed to share that moment with an owl and a magnolia tree.
I wish I’d written today’s blessing
because I loved it the moment I read it…
I wish I could give credit to the person…
but I do not know who said it!
And though I never knew the person who wrote this
never heard this person speak…
It is a wonderful blessing…with which to start the week:
May we all be blessed to use our voice for kindness
Our ears for compassion
Our hands for charity
Our minds for truth
And our hearts for love.
