Tag Archives: remembering

Preparing the Way

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Angel of the Rusty Halo

I remind myself to pay attention
should the stones choose to shout out
or the mountains bow down.

Just in case a triad of angels
drop by the house for a visit,
I keep the sacrament of hospitality prepared.

My eyes are open
should I need to clothe the naked
or feed the hungry
or maybe have occasion to do justice
or show mercy.

Shaking myself to stay awake,
I have my eyes peeled
for the bridegroom
like the wise virgins.

Reminding myself
to keep alert,
ready to hear that whisper
loud as a thunderclap-

(‘Be still’)

*** This a poem written several years ago and posted on the first Sunday of Advent the past years.
As I am preparing for the holidays again, it reminds me to keep prepared in other ways. Things I should be prepared to do each and every day – feed the hungry, clothe the naked, be just, merciful, hospitable.
Should you be so inclined, these are the Biblical references: Luke 19:40, Habakkuk 3:6, Hebrews 13:2, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 58:7, Matthew 25, Psalm 46:10

I will not say

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wild roses

I will not say,
This is Tuesday, the day she left,
Two weeks ago.
I will not look at the clock and say,
She breathed her last at 10 til 9,
Two weeks ago.
No.
I will not say that.

I will not say
It was easy
Or hard
Or I was blessed
Or I sacrificed.
I will not say that.

I will not say
There were days I could have been kinder
Or sometimes the frustration chafed
And she knew.
I will not say that I would do it all over again.
No.

It was a choice
Made without enough information or
maybe not well thought out.
Seemingly,
This is how I have lived my life-
Making decisions
And just doing it.

Its just what we did,
Together,
Each day,
Each conversation, smile and gesture-
Its just what we did.

That I will say.
And remember.

Memorial Day 2014

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Memorial Day at the Lake

I like a day set aside for remembering. It’s not as if I don’t think of those that are no longer with us on other days, but this day is singular – a Day of Remembrance.

I have a friend whose family and community still gather at the cemetery for the day, to sweep away the leaves and debris from the graves. They visit and clean the headstones, replacing the faded flowers with fresh wreaths, plastic or silk flowers. If there are graves no longer visited, these are not forgotten, they are tended and swept and cleaned too as a grace to those that went before. Then the families will picnic on the grounds, tell stories and laugh as they remember.

This tradition speaks to me. There are times I wish our family had not spread out across the country and we could come together on a singular day to tell stories and clean gravestones, leaving fresh bouquets for our loved ones.

I like the idea of this renewal of ties to the dead. They are always with us and this morning I am remembering those that have gone before me: my grandparents, the Allens and the Greshams, my great grandmother, LaLocke, my beloved Dad, my great nephew, Gabriel, a beloved friend’s daughter, my husband’s father,Pop, Aunt Toni, Aunt Nonie, Uncle Marty and Aunt Carol.

And in memory of my beloved niece’s brother in law, Lance Corporal Phillip Vinnedge, killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

I leave flowers for them all.
wild roses

Memorial Day – Remembering

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Memorial Day at the Lake

I like a day set aside for remembering. It’s not as if I don’t think of those that are no longer with us on other days, but this day is singular – a Day of Remembrance.
I have a friend whose family and community still gather at the cemetery for the day, to sweep away the leaves and debris from the graves. They visit and clean the headstones, replacing the faded flowers with fresh wreaths, plastic or silk flowers. If there are graves no longer visited, these are not forgotten, they are tended and swept and cleaned too as a grace to those that went before. Then the families will picnic on the grounds, tell stories and laugh as they remember.
This tradition speaks to me. There are times I wish our family had not spread out across the country and we could come together on a singular day to tell stories and clean gravestones, leaving fresh bouquets for our loved ones.
I like the idea of this renewal of ties to the dead. They are always with us and this morning I am remembering those that have gone before me: my grandparents, the Allens and the Greshams, my great grandmother, LaLocke, my beloved Dad, my great nephew, Gabriel, a beloved friend’s daughter, my husband’s father,Pop, Aunt Toni, Aunt Nonie, and just this week, Uncle Marty. And in memory of my beloved niece’s brother in law, Lance Corporal Phillip Vinnedge, killed in Afghanistan in 2010.
I leave flowers for them all.