You Should Have Been Here

You Should Have Been Here

October 2016

Our oldest son said “Yes”

To a beautiful bride on Saturday morning

Within the walls of the Lord’s House.

A perfect day by all accounts,

But you should have been here.

It was a lovely fall day filled with

Forced smiles and flooded eyes

When your baby girl watched the bride

Dance with her daddy,
And wished for only one thing:

That you could have been here.

The pictures of our family’s

New dynamic were too much

For our missionary to cherish

Some two thousand miles away.

His anguish yet another reminder

That you should have been here.

Your brother fought back tears

As he stood in photos,

Greeted guests, and offered

Advice to the bride and groom,

Attempting to fill the void we all feel

Because you should have been here.

Even as I contemplate

The beauty of that day,

I sense the patronizing platitudes

Regarding your watchful presence

And ever-attentive eye

As I acknowledge your spirit’s whisper

In my heart.

But still, you should have been here.

Just as you should be here in days ahead

To hear the cheers of happy homecomings,

The playing of Pomp and Circumstance,

The opening shot of the hunt,
The first cries of future grandchildren,

And the laughter of holidays

Spent within the walls of a home

We built for the sake of our kids

Who long for your loving embrace--

All of whom are left wishing for one thing:

That you could be here.

Momma Reb

Today There is Proof

March 4, 2015

 

Today there is proof

...that goodbyes are never easy but always inevitable.

...that “Family comes first. And if it doesn’t, it should.”

...that the veil is so thin, embraces from beyond

are no longer figurative but literal.

 

Today there is proof

...that money doesn’t buy happiness; it buys security.

But the security found in family relationships

far outweighs any monetary increase discovered in death.

Today there is proof

...that her devotion to family

was equally proportionate to

the number of photos on display in her home.

(With the exception of the seemingly requisite Christmas tree photo,

"you can never take too many pictures").

Today there is proof

...that grief is exhausting,

...tears build pressure and relieve anguish simultaneously,

And tender mercies mark the path of mourning;  

even those who fumble for the right words,

somehow offer peace.

Today there is proof

...that people are multi-dimensional:

those who are known for being tough

usually have an equal measure of tenderness.

...that only the good die young,

and the dynamic leave a hole more noticeable

than the weak and frail.

...that unselfishness is a way of life that many

mistake for misery.

...that thoughtfulness trumps

syrupy sweetness any day.

Today there is proof

...that our loving mother was welcomed Home.

...that after a life of giving, the bearer now rests.