deedeewisdom

We loved this man
Somehow it seemed
That when he spoke
The world just beamed

It beamed with knowledge
wit and hope
His lovely mind
Helped us to cope

And so this Irish bard remains
For me, a soul etched
Into the cells of memory
From which the past is fetched

He lingers there
In our hearts
Bill Bent the man
With us in spirit though now apart

Written after Bill died 3/1/2015

As the world sleeps
There are those who labor

They bake the bread
They care for the ill
They nurse the babes
They deliver the milk

Who are these souls?

They are the night workers
They are ministering to us all

As we sleep

Diane Findlen Garrow
10/26/16

Old woman, old woman
Where have you been?
Tell me your story from beginning to end

You’re soft and you’re pleasant
You smile a lot
There’s much life you’ve lived
And there’s secrets you’ve got

Your wisdom gives comfort
To those you surround
You listen with measure
You make stable ground

Your arms become portals
That welcome sad souls
They flock to you needing
Your special hellos

Old woman, old woman
Where are you now?
Your journey’s not over
There’s much you allow

How have you made it?
What have you done?
Surviving’s not easy
There’s rain with the sun

Old woman, old woman
Your face tells the tale
Each furrow and wrinkle
Reflect nature’s toil

I ask you to give me one secret
I pray
“Be yourself”, said the woman
“Make the most of today”

I thanked her with vigor
Then went on my way
Old woman, old woman
Your words with me stay

Diane Findlen Garrow 4/12/09
While commuting home on the train

To you oh Lord I bow
To you oh Lord I sing
For you oh Lord I live
Help me to adore you, our Merciful King!

My liberty I give
My memory I offer
My understanding
I submit
My will is Yours

Less of me
More of You
Your Grace
Your Love
Your Will
Mold me in Your Holy Image

Amen

Diane Findlen Garrow 1/19/21

Before she even spoke
She hugged me with her eyes
Those kind blue eyes
Reflecting her big loving heart

Her laugh was contagious
If we talked about something
difficult
She would always turn it into
something OK

The last phone call included many laughs
She told me about Jesus coming to her
in her dream
There were many declarations of how
much she loved my husband and me

I will miss our not frequent enough
phone calls
She spoke so often of God’s Will

I will miss you, cousin Barbara
Until we meet again

April 23, 2019

Diane Findlen Garrow

I am the woman at the well
I am the paralytic at the pool
I am the blind man
I am the woman on whom the crowd
threatens to throw stones
I am the leper
I am the prodigal son

I come to you, Oh Lord
In my distress
I pray for Your Grace
I need Your Forgiveness
I need Your Love

Today the cross is heavy
Yet I know that carrying it means
salvation
Yet I know that You are there,
Human
Divine
Suffering
Saving
Seeing
Me

In all my frailty and error

Diane Findlen Garrow 3/31/19

A note of thanks
To my sister dear
On this the day
Of her 85th year

As a little girl
You gave me love
In early morn
I would seek your hug

And as time goes by
With its ebb and flow
We’ve been able to
Ensure that our friendship would grow

So happy birthday
Enjoy your day
May God’s Grace
Continue to come your way!

May 14, 2021
Love, your sister Diane (DeeDee)

My body has changed
In a radical way
For many years I thought
The youth would just stay
Now as I start my 74th year
I realize the aches and the pains
Are something to fear

From the first few patters of
My feet on the floor
As the day begins I am so sore
My crippled feet speak loudly to me
And the back, the shoulders, the wrist and the knee

The story’s the same as the day unfolds
The machine is rusty, the joints need oil
When lo and behold!
To the Y do we go!
Within 5 minutes the blood starts to flow

Relief comes to me,
The movement a balm
By mile one I feel the calm
It’s true when they say “Don’t vegetate”
Get out there and move, you’ll better your state!

My beloved and I
Stand at the window
At dusk
Looking for those elusive
Creatures
Of the night

They swoop in quickly
In a flash
Oh dearest, you missed it
There it is
Now gone

Elusive I said
Difficult to see
In the fading light

Yet we persist
Knowing they are there
Our eyes not sharp
Any more

An old age
Date of sort

Together at the door
The twilight glistens

Our old eyes
Hoping to see
Just one

Oh there it is!
We both see it!
The bats eating bugs
Flying over the house

Of two old people
More in love than ever