Grief Workshop and Book Signing

I will be a participant in a panel presentation for the Mary Washington Healthcare Grief 101 workshop on Saturday, March 5 (3:00 to 4:00). The topic will be "Picking up the Pieces: Hope is not Lost," and the panel will share their experiences of grief and what has given them hope since their loved one died.  I will also be doing a book signing following the workshop.  Everyone interested is invited to attend the workshop and book signing.  The location is Joseph-Beth Booksellers behind the Spotsylvania Mall (the address is Joseph-Beth Booksellers, The Village at Spotsylvania Towne Centre, Fredericksburg, VA, 22407).   If you plan to attend the workshop, please register with Diane Ebenal of Mary Washington Hospice by email at diane.ebenal@mwhc.com or by calling 540-741-2377.

Give Me Strength

     Last week I was surprised after a visit to our ER to discover that I required a hospital stay.  I ended up needing surgery.  The night before my operation I was apprehensive and started crying.  I got out my pen and paper and started writing.  This is what I wrote, a prayer.  I read this many times before I went into surgery the next morning and felt relatively calm.  My surgery went well and I am making good progress in recovering. 

Tired and weary, scared and sad,
I don’t want to feel this bad,
Emotionally I’ve plumbed the depths,
When I lost my son to death.

Now I face physical pain,
To have my health back again,
Tomorrow will be my surgery,
I pray it goes successfully.

Heavenly helpers one and all,
Hear my heart’s call,
I place myself within your hands,
Surrendering to what is planned.

Come and stay close to me,
Sheltering and supporting protectively,
With your love and healing rays,
Give me strength for upcoming days.

Love Is Forever

Rainbows and blossoms, and butterfly wings,
In the air the mockingbirds sing,
Signs and messages sent with your love,
Comfort for me from Heaven above.

Our love is timeless, forever and true,
You are present in all that I do,
In my mind, and safe in my heart,
Gone, but never truly apart.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Graham

Bridging the Gap

Even with knowing that all is one,
I just want to see my son,
I know that death is only a transition,
But while on earth I desperately miss him.

Help me to bridge this gap,
To move beyond ego's trap,
The mind is what keeps us apart,
Oneness comes from the heart.

My heart has been broken,
It is torn and open,
I am learning as I process my grief,
But every day I still weep.

Love is the vehicle for our soul,
It is in love that we grow,
The past is memory, the future is imagination,
Today is our creation.

I want to move beyond this 3-D  world,
To see my spiritual gifts unfurl,
To find inner purpose and meaning in life,
Being happy despite all strife.

No Crybabies

     Graham worked one summer at a graphic design business that made vinyl graphics for vehicles and businesses.  One business owner wanted to have a sign that said " No Crybabies" on his entry door.  Graham designed this sign for him. This business is on a road I drive on most every day. I look at the door each time I pass by, and think of  my beloved Graham.

I often see the Pro-Trucks store,
With the graphic you designed on their door,
The graphic that reads,
"No Crybabies."

I was thinking,
(As I was weeping),
That I must be strong,
But this road is long.

With many downs and ups,
I feel as if I am on the cusp,
Of a different direction,
A course correction.

Is your graphic a message for me,
A reminder of what not to be?
I want to laugh and to smile,
Knowing every moment we shared was worthwhile.

That no matter the length of time,
 I was blessed to call you mine,
I’ll remember and cherish,
Because our love will never perish.