There is something so profound about the falling leaves and how they mirror our lives, reminding us of our own mortality. As we all stand enamored with the beauty of the leaves during their few final moments before returning to the dirt, I can't help but wonder why we don't look on our elderly with the same awe - why we don't revel in their beauty and wisdom. Could it be that we begin to grieve before they are even gone?
I visited my grandmother hours before she passed. I missed that opportunity with my grandfather and had much more difficulty letting go. I loved them so much and still do. Losing them shook me to the core. We look at falling leaves knowing they fall only for a season and will return again, yet I think we struggle to apply that same hope to the ones we love. They only leave us for a season, yet we walk in the sorrow of having lost them for all eternity. However the same resurrection that God paints all through nature is offered to us.
I wrote this poem some time after losing my grandmother.
The sorrows of generations rest not ‘neath the ground
with the passing of our mothers and our fathers.
No, they rise forth again through grass and leaves
settling on roof tops and in our soup bowls.
And we continue to slurp down the poison,
till we too grief-stricken walk forth in sorrowed steps.
And yet, hope hovers o’er the graves
clinging to our linen shirts and dresses
as we move lifting prayers in passing.
That hope brushes off fingertips onto faces
as a breadcrumb is swept from the lip.
Hope flavors life, filling hearts with determination.
It intertwines with the taste of sorrow in our mouths,
and we continue in our steps with purpose,
knowing they are not in vain.
In hope and sorrow we see mirrored faces.
We see who we once were,
who our mothers and our fathers once were,
who we are to be --
And we bid them all farewell.
I've often wondered the same about seeing the beauty in our elders...people in our country (and in many parts of the world) have lost all respect for those whose wisdom and joy could teach us much. It saddens me to see them mistreated at their low-paying jobs, neglected at their nursing homes, and struggling alone in the simplest of tasks. When did our family stop being our responsibility? I know it's not always easy or even possible for people with their jobs and lives the way they are to take care of an aging, ailing parent or grandparent, but that doesn't mean it's not our duty and privilege to do so. They deserve so much better. And then there's the Golden Rule...
ReplyDeleteThey do deserve better. I admire the way Joe's and my parents have cared for their parents. They've set a great example for us.
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