Yesterday I stood by one of our church members as she said good-bye to her husband and watched him pass from this world to the next. I wrote this for her today but it will be a while before I can give it to her as her mourning is great.
I said good-bye to you today with loving tears
and a heavy heart.
I saw no reason to continue your pain so that I
could cling to your silent body.
Where will I go from here since
there is no going forward with you
and no turning back?
I said good-bye to you
but for now
there is no hello for me.
A day of greeting for me will come
but today
I said good-bye.
It seemed appropriate to end the month with a symbol of hope and comfort, which in time, comes to all who mourn.
Very thoughtful and loving. What I said when my husband died was it's time to start a new chapter. Sounds trite and unemotional but I knew I couldn't get hung up on the past. I needed to move on and mourn him at the same time by remembering the good things.
It’s a lovely poem. I’m sure it will mean a great deal to her. I have had so many friends lose spouses in the past year that I have started sharing poems about grief by Donna Ashworth. It’s wonderful you wrote your own.
Such a moving and heartfelt poem. Your friend will come to treasure it. I would like to add a thanks for hosting FoR. It is a most enjoyable challenge. Also, thanks for your kind comment on my calendar.
@rontu Very true Linda- not now at least but I think in time she will. The important thing is not to hurry yourself along because you think you should or others tell you to do that. She'll be ready when she's ready and she'll know when. Thank you for your kind words.
@randystreat You have a beautiful way of bringing honor to your husband while doing well for yourself Kathy. I am always impressed with you and your approach to life.
@cdcook48 Thank you Chris- I hope to make it into a card of some sort with one of my pictures. I'm glad you enjoyed flash of red too!
@corinnec Thank you Corinne- yes, I think she will after the initial wave of grief subsides- but there is no timetable for that- it's whenever she's ready.
@pandorasecho Thank you Dixie- I never sit down and think, "I'm going to write a poem. Usually a phrase comes to me and then I build on it. "I said good-bye to you today" kept coming into my head when I thought of her, so that's how it started.
Thank you Laur, Kathy, Debbie, Diana, Lou Ann, Gloria, Kathy, Wendy, Dorothy, and Renee. Yes, though difficult just being a presence for someone who is losing a loved-one can sometimes be a gift to them. I will probably take one of my photos and superimpose the poem over it as a card for her. That way she can always keep it some place special if she likes it.
Thanks to all for your kind words and thoughtfulness.
March 2nd, 2024
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@randystreat You have a beautiful way of bringing honor to your husband while doing well for yourself Kathy. I am always impressed with you and your approach to life.
@cdcook48 Thank you Chris- I hope to make it into a card of some sort with one of my pictures. I'm glad you enjoyed flash of red too!
@corinnec Thank you Corinne- yes, I think she will after the initial wave of grief subsides- but there is no timetable for that- it's whenever she's ready.
@pandorasecho Thank you Dixie- I never sit down and think, "I'm going to write a poem. Usually a phrase comes to me and then I build on it. "I said good-bye to you today" kept coming into my head when I thought of her, so that's how it started.
@prettycheeses @radiogirl @shutterbug49 @ludwigsdiana @louannwarren @seattlite @kjarn @wendyfrost @illinilass @rensala
Thank you Laur, Kathy, Debbie, Diana, Lou Ann, Gloria, Kathy, Wendy, Dorothy, and Renee. Yes, though difficult just being a presence for someone who is losing a loved-one can sometimes be a gift to them. I will probably take one of my photos and superimpose the poem over it as a card for her. That way she can always keep it some place special if she likes it.
Thanks to all for your kind words and thoughtfulness.