Last night we paid our respects to Barb and supported our friends as they mourned the death of a parent. Today, DH will carry the burden of his love for her during her funeral service. One of Barb’s wishes was that DH be a pall bearer on the day she is laid to rest.
This is a difficult task–one I have never performed myself, but one I watched DH struggle with when he and his cousins carried their grandfather from the church to the cemetary. I have to believe this is one of the hardest journeys one must walk.
In life, the only guarantee is death.
Marriages fail, children are led astray, jobs are lost and families split apart due to affairs, drugs or tragedy. Yet even through the pain, nothing is final. Emotions wax and wan. Joy follows sorrow. Anger preceeds calm.
Life is fluid. Experiences hinge upon each other. Journeys change from one moment to the next. One week to the next. Year to year and decade to decade.
Yet there is always, inevitably, an end. This simple fact shifts the focus from life itself to the journey through life. Like any good book, there is a beginning, a middle and an end. Like the characters between the covers, we face obstacles, experience success and ultimately grow and change because of the choices we make.
While writing my DD’s confirmation poem, I focused not on her confirmation, but rather on her faith journey. I wrote it to have meaning last Sunday, ten years from now and a lifetime from now–however short or long that may be.
It is timely today, as my DH prepares to carry Barb to her final resting place. It is a poetic replica of her life–the kindness, acceptance and grace in which she lived–and I’d like to share it with you.
Faith journey
Love journey
Hope journey
Life
Walk in the way of your spirit; your heart knows the way.
Follow where it shall lead, the path is ever under your feet.
And should you stumble, lift your voice to heaven
the answer is there.
Reach for the stars
Believe in miracles
Trust in the Lord
He is your guide.
Faith, Love, Hope
This is the journey of life.
These last days have been filled with raw emotion, both good and bad. I suspect writing will flow easily for the next little while and my “voice” will be authentic. Some of my best writing follows the emotional tides of my life. I suspect this is true for most writers.
What life experiences have shaped the kind of person/writer you are today? What events played a major role in your life/writer’s journey?
Words from the Woods 