Dawn

This poem is one that Mom wrote several years ago. She won a writing contest with this piece and I now have this poem on a plaque in my bedroom. When Kenna died, we had this poem printed on the back of her memorial booklet, and it was on the inside of Mom's memorial booklet. The pastor read it at her funeral, but I can't remember if he read it before I read mine or after. I think it perfectly sums up who my mom was: a deeply spiritual woman who appreciated the little joys in life.

"Dawn"

I walk at dawn through meadows gray,
to see the sunrise on the hill.
This is my favorite time of day,
when all is quiet; all is still.
And at first light in the eastern sky,
I hear a rustling in the trees.
I hear a brook go chuckling by,
and whispered prayers upon the breeze.
And as I feel the first warm ray,
A bird sings out from winged flight.
He's singing to announce the day,
and bid farewell to fading night.
The sounds of dawn bid me, "rejoice!"
They're echoes of the Master's voice.

- Shirley Love

As a side note, I have always heard Mom's name not as "Shirley Love," but as "surely, love."  She had so much love and she shared it abundantly.

I saw her this morning just as I was waking up. In my dream I was at the municipal swimming pool, talking to some people I knew from junior high and high school. I looked up and there she was at the other end of the pool. She was younger, probably in her late 40s or early 50s. Her hair was in the curly perm she always wore back then and she was wearing her glasses. She was looking away, possibly reading something, and her entire being was out of proportion from the scene; she was ten times bigger than the rest of us. Larger than life. I said, "Oh my god, that's my mother!" And just as I was about to run through the water to join her, I woke up.

How apropos that Mom visited me at "Dawn."

Someone Important

Today was the day we laid my mother to rest and said goodbye to her for the final time. I have a plethora of emotions that I cannot possibly articulate right this minute, but I wanted to share something with you. I wrote this and read it at her funeral this morning.

There's someone important I want you to meet...
This is my best friend, we like to play
I want to be with her every day
We play with dolls and pretend to be grown
With her as my friend I'm never alone
Friend, this is my Mommy.

There's someone important I want you to meet...
This is a guy I know from school
Don't say too much to him, that wouldn't be cool
When I talk to him my legs feel like butter
And inside my chest my heart starts to flutter
We're going out now on our very first date
Goodbye Mom, I won't be too late
Sweetie, this is my Mom.

There's someone important I want you to meet...
This is my newborn, your new grandchild
Look! Did you see that? I think he just smiled!
Never in my life have I been filled with such joy
As I am when I look at this precious little boy
Being a mother takes so much hard work
There are times when I feel I'm going berserk
But if there's one thing I know to be true
I'll go a long way with what I've learned from you
Son, this is your Grandma.

There's someone important I want you to meet...
This woman is one of the world's greatest treasures
My love for her could never be measured
She taught me so much about life and love
And her inspiration always came from above
So as she leaves me now to walk with You
There's just one thing I'll ask You to do
Put her in the most special place
Reward her daily with Your love and grace
And although You care for so many others
There's no one as special to me as my Mother.