Friday, January 06, 2012


Epiphany

January 6th is Epiphany and also the day Christmas decorations should be removed.  If you are superstitious – don’t panic – do as I have done – take them down and sort them and put away when you have time.

Good news today – my grandson-dog Buster is out of hospital (RVC) and hopefully with a further 2 weeks antibiotics  will be back to his old self,  Jubilation all round – he’s been missed so much by his immediate family.  He was allowed visitors yesterday and I’m sure that gave him the boost he needed.

Sad news from the daughters of an old friend; she died just before Christmas but it was such a loving letter saying how very lucky and privileged they felt to have been her daughters and described her as ‘our lovely Mum.’

Her grandchildren wrote their own poem and two grand –daughters read it out at the Service.  They had found the poem ‘I am Free’ amongst her papers so that was also read out.

I am Free.

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free,
I’m following paths God made for me.
I took his hand, I heard him call…
Then turned, and bid farewell to all.

I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to sing, to play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
I found my peace… at close of day.

And if parting left a void
Then fill it with remembered joys.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,
Ah yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened, deep with sorrow
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full…I’ve savoured much.
Good friends, good times…
A loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief,
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me,
God wants me now …he set me free.
Shannon Lee Moseley

I remember her with great affection; when I first went to live with MTL I was a stranger in a strange town and some people looked askance at this person who turned up out of nowhere.  Being old-fashioned I think MTL would have liked to have kept me hidden until we were safely married but Pearl and her husband were old and trusted friends and when we met them for lunch she went out of her way to make me feel welcome and at home.  After lunch she said:
‘MTL had got his bounce back,’ which was very reassuring to me and we became firm friends.

One couple dropped in to leave their car as they were going abroad on holiday.  Surprised to see this strange lady they assumed I was one of the Scottish cousins.
‘A kissing cousin,’ MTL remarked later.


15 comments:

GYPSYWOMAN said...

what a beautifully moving story of your friend and her daughters' love for her - and a beautiful poem - my sister's memorial service was really very moving, too - i had insisted from the beginning that it be a celebration of her life and not a lamenting of her passing - and so, it was - you know, she was an independent/innovative theatre director/producer and was quite well thought of on the coast and as she became in our home state the past years - anyway, one of the many ironies of her death is that she died within hours of the opening of her last production - literally, just about 4 hours from opening as she prepared to leave her home - her company - cast and crew, just having learned of her death within an hour of being on stage, went forward with the production and by all reports it was more than a memorable and extraordinary performance by them all - the greatest tribute possible from them - in any event - i digress - thanks for reminding us of the epiphany - a date i'd not remembered for a very long time - have a great day, pat -

oh, and lovely story of you and YTL -

Ponita in Real Life said...

YTL is a treasure! I am sure you know that, having found him again after so many years.

So sorry for the loss of your dear friend. Her daughters and grandkids sound like they had a very close relationship with her, and that is what brings the most joy in life, isn't it? A loving close relationship with those you truly care about (whether related or not) makes this life a joy.

I agree with Gypsy... the ending of one's life should have a resounding celebration of all that had gone on before, with everyone coming forth with stories and laughter. After my mum died, we had exactly that: a celebration. Lots of people came, shared their memories, and some even brought guitars and sang songs (my mum was a music teacher and avid guitar and piano player, and she sang beautifully). Because she had already been cremated, Mum was in attendance on a table, surrounded by many mementos of her life. And by all of us. xoxo

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Lovely rememberances of a life well lived...My condolences, my dear Pat....! And happy to read about Buster...I pray he keeps getting better and better....!

Pat said...

Jenean: thank you for telling me about your sister. How brave of the cast and company to carry on and what a tribute to her.
I have always had an affinity with the theatre and can really appreciate what a momentous occasion that must have been. As with all creative people her work will live on which must be some comfort to you and her family.

Pat said...

Ponita: yes - celebration every time.
Your Mum's sounds a grand Wake - we had the same for my father - with a brand new grand-child to lighten the load but my mother died in Portugal when I had a badly fractured leg and couldn't travel. Ten days later my brother died. That took a long time to come to terms with.
The poem - simple as it is - says it all as far as I'm concerned.

Naomi: thank you dear - especially after your sad loss.

Vagabonde said...

January 6th is Epiphany as you say and the end of Christmas – unless… one is an Orthodox Christian. My father was Armenian – the Armenians celebrate Christmas today, January 6th (300 million Orthodox do too like the Greeks, the Russians, Ukrainians, Albanians, Serbians, etc.) They kept the original Christmas date from the Gregorian calendar and it always surprises me that this is not well known and that most people think that after the 25th, it’s over.
When I was in France we celebrated with a “galette des rois” a succulent almond paste pastry pie with a small favor inside. They do not do this in the US.
I am sorry about the loss of your friend. The poem is very beautiful and I am pleased that you posted it. I hope that 2012 will be a good year for you and your loved ones.

angryparsnip said...

Yes, I have the Christmas down but not put away, except for the lights outside. I leave them up for Epiphany.
I was raised Polish Roman Catholic and that is the date The Three Wise Men came to Bethlehem to give the gifts to Baby Jesus. It can also be called Three Kings Day.
It is an important day to for Polish Catholics. Even though I don't go to church I still keep the faith in my heart.
So I leave the outside lights on to help The Wise Men find their way.

Glad to hear Buster is doing much better.
I to am sad to hear about your friend and the poem is beautiful.

YTL is a gem as you are, I am so happy you found each other again.

cheers, parsnip

Pat said...

Vagabonde: thank you for that. It is a shame that we don't know more about each other's customs and beliefs but here in Blogland we can help to rectify that. One of the things that makes it so rewarding.
The galette des rois sounds a great idea:)
Thank you for your good wishes.

Parsnip: I love the idea of keeping lights on for the Three Kings.
The crib scene is my favourite decoration and I really miss looking at it under different lights. It's great when comments become an interesting conversation. One can learn so much.xox

Eryl said...

Sorry to hear about your friend, she sounds great.

Glad to hear your grandson-do is doing well, though I'm not sure I remembered you had one.

I took my decorations down on Monday as I needed to get back to work and they made the house feel too much fun for that! Speaking of which I'd better get on...

Unknown said...

I don't put any decorations up!

Pat said...

Esuririon

Pat said...

ryl: Buster is my son's dog so my grandson dog.
Getting them down (decorations) is one thing - putting them away has taken the bulk of the day - up at the top of a built-in wardrobe with sticking sliding doors.
And then I found more tinsel. Determined not to carry the steps upstairs again I bounced on the bed until I could reach. I wonder if Kim could do that on his new bed?

John: very wise:)

That above is a WV - my comment disappeared.

Eryl said...

I have such a fun image of you bouncing on the bed waving tinsel!

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

I could've sworn I'd written something here, then I remembered, I had to leave home early and didn't leave a comment.

I want to say so much about grandchildren and their grandparents, all the things I've observed, and how wonderful that relationship is, and how the older ones in our families are not revered enough by society, and how much they mean to us. It would take up a whole book though.

That poem is beautiful.

Pat said...

GG: you are right-it is a precious relationship.