When shadows of sorrow surround you
And no one really knows what to say
You feel loss’ burden upon your heart
And it feels that it might be there to stay
Remember your comforter is not one earthly bound
Your grief’s release shall be at the throne found
Find your brightness in His care
Remember that He and His children for you care
Padre
They say there is an order to things
Seasons pass and chapters end
But when it comes to human life
Our hearts – the change does rend
We are in our spirits sore
A sadness upon us does descend
But God’s love for us still abides
And in time will help us mend
Padre
Written at the passing of my father
I have come to pay a visit
To fill you in on things
I know that you will listen
To the news that I bring
You will not interrupt me
You were always good that way
I will share with you the latest
Then visit again another day
Someday I know you’ll answer
When we meet again face to face
But for now its good to be near you
Even in this place
Padre
Her eyes full of anguish
Down cheeks a steady stream
Not ready for her love’s departure
The end of all her dreams
Eyes filled with sorrow
The tears they continually flow
She was not at all prepared for
Her love to Heaven go
Padre
It has been a year now since you went away
That passing of time, my love does not allay
You have gone to meet our Saviour
Having through Jesus’ blood found His favour
I do with faith daily pray
That I too will join Him on my “getting up” day
Till then I shall your memory hold dear
And on this anniversary shed a tear
Padre
Виктория Бородинова at Pixabay*
When I grow up, I
Will a mariner –
So hearty become.
Like father before
Me – Who left only
His seafaring dreams.
When I have grown up
A mariner too,
A man like Father,
A bold sailor he,
Now lost in briny
Sea. His legacy?
When I have become
A man of the sea,
I will storms defy
And I unlike my
father – will refuse
In the waves to die.
Padre
*While this poem is the construction of my imagination, it was stirred not only by the prompt but by the art and photography of Victoria Borodinova. Her work on Pixabay is well worth looking at for inspiration and illustration. This present photo, which I came across a few days ago, has been weighing in my mind, waiting for this prompt to find its poetic release.
“The Tableau, a poetry form created by Emily Romano in October of 2008, consists of one or more verses, each having six lines. Each line should have five beats. There is no set rhyme scheme, although rhyme may be present. The title should contain the word tableau.”
The year after a bereavement is “a year of firsts.” The first “first” for me came only three days after my wife’s passing as she went to be with her Lord just before our wedding anniversary. Yesterday was another of those “firsts,” the anniversary of our “meeting.”
My wife and I “met” in a chatroom for single parents. This was no “online dating site.” It was a Christian site with the purpose of discussing being single parents and coming up with advice and strategies for dealing with the responsibility of that role. We seemed to have much in common as far as approach, and that in turn showed other things we shared. Our online contact moved on from that and about 3 months later we met for the first time face to face. God works in wonderful ways, and through such an unexpected medium, I found the perfect partner and wife.
A chance meeting while seeking help
No thought of what it might become
Discussing with strangers the issues of life
And then we became as one
How odd, our meeting was while far away
In a help room for sharing advice
And then we would click, bond, and grow
And you agreed to become my wife
So simple a meeting, no thought of a link
Lone parenting our only aim
But it all came together faster than you’d think
Our destinies proved the same
Padre
Dianne you are loved and missed.
Today we held the memorial service and celebration of life of my wife, Dianne. Pastor Vince fulfilled all of Dianne’s wishes as how she would have liked to have been remembered, and Pastor Joe and the worship team really touched my heart with their singing. Readings by sisters Amba and Claire were exactly how Dianne had pictured it, and Amba’s singing of Revelation Song was awesome. Love was shown to me and Dianne by so many today, from food being prepared, to the arranging of the service, to the wonderful testimonies of so many friends. Thank you everyone.
Those gathered were a testimony to Dianne. Christian, non-Christians, members of singing and drama societies, Toastmasters, family members, former students, and brothers and sisters in Christ. Dianne touched so many.
A gathering together-
To reflect on a life –
Such varied relations –
That defined my wife
Stories of love and compassion
Moments shared – retold
Her mark was made
Her memories we hold
A lady of music,
Of humour and of wit
Yet, her faith above all
Never counterfeit
We’ve said our farewells
A few shed a tear
But we’ll meet again
On that I am clear
Thank you again everyone who came to share your love of Dianne. You were all precious to her, and I hope to see each of you personally in the near future.
Padre
I am in grief. There is no denying that. But even in the sense of personal loss which wells over me at this time, it does not overcome me. I have hope. It is a hope founded in faith, and in which my wife’s passing was not “game over,” but merely a time of separation. A time in the scheme of eternity that will be but a blink.
Yes, it might seem long (depending on how long I have still to continue my pilgrimage) while here on earth, but it is not enough to cause me despair.
A Christian lady I once saw on a video made a powerful statement about facing her own demise. She said, “Death is a comma, not a full stop.” How wonderful a way to express the hope in our resurrection to join Jesus. One part of our existence will come to an end, only to continue with the rest of the story.
Paul wrote, “We do not grieve as others who have no hope (1 Thess. 4: 13).” Yes, we still grieve, but not as those that think that this earthly life is all there is. My wife as she faced death, always held that God could heal her at any time. Such power was His to deal as was best. But she also held that accepting her mortality was a blessing. We are only passing through, here below. If we cling to this life, with the conviction that death is definitive, then of course it brings fear and pain. But she in her hope of a life everlasting, easily was able to say to God: “In my life – your glory. If I am healed – it will cause people to marvel and praise. And if I don’t get physically healed, I will live my faith to its full, and show those around me, that death is not to be feared because Jesus has gone to prepare me a place.” She lived that to the end. We should too.
Padre
image by Dianne
My wife prepared me for her passing in every way she could. She told me to keep on writing, and not to wallow in grief. Her advice was wise and strengthens me. In taking a moment to collect and recollect these words flow.
Wait, Pause, Take Breath, Breathe
A moment to stop, Collect
Letting Anguish ebb
Padre – in the second of my Dianne postmortem poems
My thanks to Chèvrefeuille for also for us to pause, it was a perfect word for my day.
Padre's Ramblings 