Monday, April 28, 2008
TIMING.....
A year ago Holly, Becky and I went through a most traumatic time. The three of us cared for Rocky as his life was ebbing away. We felt a closeness together that we never felt as strongly before. No one else will ever know or feel what the three of us witnessed in those final days.
One thing for sure, the love and the loss mingled together that night is forever written on our hearts. When Holly called and said she would like to come on the 24th Becky and I were happy she could. It would make it seem right for the three of us to be together on that day……as we had been before.
Holly was able to stay from Thursday through Sunday and we made it a very positive and reflective time……talking about our individual healing, some of our favorite stories of Rocky, the life he led and the love he so freely gave to each of us. We didn’t scratch open old wounds or dwell on our last goodbyes….we spent the time together as a celebration of his life and how he impacted ours.
Rocky’s own daughter, Holly, was a middle child and my Becky was a middle child. Each of our daughters represented the other children of ours who couldn’t be here with us and the girls were equally helpful in different ways. It seemed we had the needs covered by our own individual capabilities. We vowed to come together each year on that date if possible as a group of three who met Death and came out stronger for it.
Becky will be in St. Louis for meetings Wednesday and Thursday so I will have a quiet day on what would have been our seventh wedding anniversary. I am fine with being alone as I have more than enough happy memories for company….and my little critters keep me entertained.
Life is a journey that takes us places with people who come and go much of the way. There are many things that make me wonder…..and make me know that almost everything around us happens for a reason. The timing of things is amazing to me and it refortifies the knowledge that there is a God and He is ever showing us how near and how much He loves us.
The evening of the 24th Napoleon flew up into our big oak tree for the first time since last Fall. He had been roosting around the neighborhood and recently in one of Becky’s trees…….but this special night he came back. He cried into the night for a while and then became quiet. I wonder about the many things I can’t explain yet are so compelling….but I guess there are some things that God keeps to Himself, and that’s just the way it is………
Essentially Esther
One thing for sure, the love and the loss mingled together that night is forever written on our hearts. When Holly called and said she would like to come on the 24th Becky and I were happy she could. It would make it seem right for the three of us to be together on that day……as we had been before.
Holly was able to stay from Thursday through Sunday and we made it a very positive and reflective time……talking about our individual healing, some of our favorite stories of Rocky, the life he led and the love he so freely gave to each of us. We didn’t scratch open old wounds or dwell on our last goodbyes….we spent the time together as a celebration of his life and how he impacted ours.
Rocky’s own daughter, Holly, was a middle child and my Becky was a middle child. Each of our daughters represented the other children of ours who couldn’t be here with us and the girls were equally helpful in different ways. It seemed we had the needs covered by our own individual capabilities. We vowed to come together each year on that date if possible as a group of three who met Death and came out stronger for it.
Becky will be in St. Louis for meetings Wednesday and Thursday so I will have a quiet day on what would have been our seventh wedding anniversary. I am fine with being alone as I have more than enough happy memories for company….and my little critters keep me entertained.
Life is a journey that takes us places with people who come and go much of the way. There are many things that make me wonder…..and make me know that almost everything around us happens for a reason. The timing of things is amazing to me and it refortifies the knowledge that there is a God and He is ever showing us how near and how much He loves us.
The evening of the 24th Napoleon flew up into our big oak tree for the first time since last Fall. He had been roosting around the neighborhood and recently in one of Becky’s trees…….but this special night he came back. He cried into the night for a while and then became quiet. I wonder about the many things I can’t explain yet are so compelling….but I guess there are some things that God keeps to Himself, and that’s just the way it is………
Essentially Esther
