Grief touches grief.

Tis a Fearful Thing
by Yehuda HaLevi (1075 – 1141)

"‘Tis a fearful thing
to love what death can touch.
A fearful thing
to love, to hope, to dream, to be –
to be,
And oh, to lose.
A thing for fools, this,
And a holy thing,
a holy thing
to love.
For your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was gift to me.
To remember this brings painful joy.
‘Tis a human thing, love,
a holy thing, to love
what death has touched."

     

     The announcement of Pastors Dan's and Mary's retirement awakens the reality, that even as I move on with life, I continue in the land of grief.  There is more than one dimension to this. That the new pastor will not have know Joanne seems hard. Mary and Dan were with us through Joanne's surgeries, hospice stay, death and funeral. In every encounter with either of them Joanne's absence was always present, sometimes spoken but sometimes unspoken.  That will now be lost.

    Grieving in anticipation of their departure falls to me without the opportunity to share, discuss, remember and process with Joanne. We'd talk about Mary bringing Joanne a "Grace rock" to hold as she went into surgery and how many times she did that with various surgeries.  The Easter Service Mary brought to Joanne's hospice bed as Evy volunteered to read the gospel would be remembered.  Joanne often told of Mary's parents bringing the family to sing for Joanne's parents when her father had Parkinson's.  Mary's parents rented an apartment in Joanne's parents home when the Halvorsons were first married. Joanne's father had deep respect for Dan's family in North Dakota.  

    There is so much we would talk about and now it reminds me, that in this regard, I am alone.

Takk for alt,

Al