deedeewisdom

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

MY SADNESS

I miss people
I yearn to hug
I yearn for my smile
When I see you
To be seen by you

How long will this separation last?
How long will my wrinkled yet
Beautiful face
Be concealed behind a mask?

the answer to these questions does not matter
Yet I ask them because
My true nature in this world
Is being diminished

Wicked virus
What have you done to us?

Little did I know
Year after year
Attending Handel’s “Messiah”

That your years were numbered
My dear sweet and loving sister Ellie

The long and tedious walk
From the parking garage to Symphony Hall
Harder and harder for you every year

Little did I know that each and every
“Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and
hill made low, the crooked straight and the rough
places plain”
Was your deep hearted prayer to the Almighty
Who made you in His image and likeness

Your comfort at “His Yoke is Easy and His burden light”
Was beautiful

To the astounding “I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry lands”
Where I watched you tremulous and shaking
Along with the deep-voiced bass

You, beside me, whom I just seemed to
Always take for granted
That you would be there
Year after year

There beside me with your eyes closed
At Symphony Hall,
Communing with your God

“Oh death, where is they sting?
Oh grave, where is thy victory?”

This year both of your sisters were there
Watching, listening
Rejoicing with you,
Oh sister of our hearts.

You went Home to our Lord on 9/20/18.

Love, your sister DeeDee

I was invited to write some “tankas” a form of poetry:

IN SILENCE
In silence she kneels
The morning gives her promise
Time heals all and yet
The wounds of yesterday speak
She hopes her prayers silence them

IN GLORY
In glory and praise
The world wakes from its slumber
Hidden miracles
Await the full sun’s splendor
Secrets unfold in between

BREEZES OF GRACE
Sometimes in silence
We hear the loudest voices
The breeze of grace flows
To open what is our own
And give the world our treasures

THE DRAGONFLY BLOUSE
The dragonfly blouse
When worn brings comments many
“It makes me happy”
Or “It reminds me of Mom”
A dragonfly hat is next

Submitted to the Writers Group at the Richards Library, North Attleboro
Diane Findlen Garrow 12/16