A special post today with a specific purpose... No image as I no longer have ready, easy access to mine, but thoughts anyway.
Recently, a friend called and told me his Mother had passed away. It is always sad news to hear of a friend's loved one passing and this too was very sad news to receive...but in reflecting on it, the first thought I had of her at that moment was of was her smile as I remembered it from my youth. Growing up with them living across the street from me, she was the neighborhood 'Mom', complete with a large family, always welcoming more into her home where I was found to be a frequent visitor. She was always a fun parent and someone who really cared for us, but now I think of her mostly for her smile. Even though I have not seen her now for several years as she has lived a great distance from me, these memories of her bright spirit still brings a small measure of cheer to me, even within this news.
In thinking on this today, many years ago, I had a visual thought about the nature of our lives... our time here on earth... seen as a series of 'strings'. The vision was each of us as a piece of string, or thread, being thin or thick, always changing colors depending on where we are at the moment, but something of the sort that travels along in space with a specific length, defining us and the days we spend here on earth. Along the way on this journey, others strings (people) join in, wrapping around us and binding to us for a time. In times of great personal joy, love and community fellowship, this connection builds and builds together and might become like a great, brightly colored ship's rope, but during other times when find ourselves in isolation and loneliness, we become like the slightest of threads...grey...afraid the smallest tension will just break us apart. Of these others who either by choice or compulsion or in love are twisted with us, some of them are quite loose and very fleeting, dancing with us, others long lasting and very tightly wound around us, giving both of us support and strength. Still some few others, are even more, bound so tightly that our fibers intertwine to become one, fueling an energetic and fulfilling life together for a time. But no matter how tightly those significant few are, they too someday will unwind from us and slip away, out of relationship temporarily or permanently, even sometimes into death, having reached the end of themselves. Depending on how tightly there were integrated and how it was when they had pulled away, there will always be some damage of some sort left behind...torn fibers as it were. Sometimes we can heal from this, finding those other strings to support us and blend with our own, but other times finding peace with it all seems impossible and everlasting and we just have to endure. Life...and it seems... the very air we breath, is different...changed...forever. I am sure everyone who reads this has lost someone dear to them in some way and has felt unwound...understands and knows what I am saying here.
When I heard this news from my friend, I wished I could somehow give them my heart of comfort and share with them a hug and peace with it, as I always want to do when hearing this kind of news. It is so important to do, to know we are there for each other, but as they too are not physically close to me anymore, my words alone will have to suffice.
Having lost her own husband early in her life, my friend's Mom certainly must have understood this pain of unravelling, but still managed to give joy to me when I saw her. She was always glad to see me. It was a blessing to me...she was a blessing to me. I know her 'string' had a relatively short amount of time with mine in the scope of each of our lives, but I am grateful to have known her, enjoyed her wit, her warm smile, her honest laughter and that in that period, what she left behind in me was good and something to be remembered with joy. Thank you Mrs. S.
Recently, a friend called and told me his Mother had passed away. It is always sad news to hear of a friend's loved one passing and this too was very sad news to receive...but in reflecting on it, the first thought I had of her at that moment was of was her smile as I remembered it from my youth. Growing up with them living across the street from me, she was the neighborhood 'Mom', complete with a large family, always welcoming more into her home where I was found to be a frequent visitor. She was always a fun parent and someone who really cared for us, but now I think of her mostly for her smile. Even though I have not seen her now for several years as she has lived a great distance from me, these memories of her bright spirit still brings a small measure of cheer to me, even within this news.
In thinking on this today, many years ago, I had a visual thought about the nature of our lives... our time here on earth... seen as a series of 'strings'. The vision was each of us as a piece of string, or thread, being thin or thick, always changing colors depending on where we are at the moment, but something of the sort that travels along in space with a specific length, defining us and the days we spend here on earth. Along the way on this journey, others strings (people) join in, wrapping around us and binding to us for a time. In times of great personal joy, love and community fellowship, this connection builds and builds together and might become like a great, brightly colored ship's rope, but during other times when find ourselves in isolation and loneliness, we become like the slightest of threads...grey...afraid the smallest tension will just break us apart. Of these others who either by choice or compulsion or in love are twisted with us, some of them are quite loose and very fleeting, dancing with us, others long lasting and very tightly wound around us, giving both of us support and strength. Still some few others, are even more, bound so tightly that our fibers intertwine to become one, fueling an energetic and fulfilling life together for a time. But no matter how tightly those significant few are, they too someday will unwind from us and slip away, out of relationship temporarily or permanently, even sometimes into death, having reached the end of themselves. Depending on how tightly there were integrated and how it was when they had pulled away, there will always be some damage of some sort left behind...torn fibers as it were. Sometimes we can heal from this, finding those other strings to support us and blend with our own, but other times finding peace with it all seems impossible and everlasting and we just have to endure. Life...and it seems... the very air we breath, is different...changed...forever. I am sure everyone who reads this has lost someone dear to them in some way and has felt unwound...understands and knows what I am saying here.
When I heard this news from my friend, I wished I could somehow give them my heart of comfort and share with them a hug and peace with it, as I always want to do when hearing this kind of news. It is so important to do, to know we are there for each other, but as they too are not physically close to me anymore, my words alone will have to suffice.
Having lost her own husband early in her life, my friend's Mom certainly must have understood this pain of unravelling, but still managed to give joy to me when I saw her. She was always glad to see me. It was a blessing to me...she was a blessing to me. I know her 'string' had a relatively short amount of time with mine in the scope of each of our lives, but I am grateful to have known her, enjoyed her wit, her warm smile, her honest laughter and that in that period, what she left behind in me was good and something to be remembered with joy. Thank you Mrs. S.
Thanks Ken for the kind words, sharing your memories, and the deep thoughts. It means a lot.
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