Two Weeks

TWO WEEKS

It’s been two weeks now since our friend died
Shocking, sudden death that left us all reeling
The funeral, a celebration, a consolation
Life is short the eulogist began

Our hearts broke
Our minds worked to assemble the logic
Our wet eyes and runny noses
Said there was no logic to this loss

But it’s been two weeks now
We mourners are back at work
Back tending our jobs, our lawns, our book clubs
Mindless tasks interrupted briefly with vague haunting of the death

Platitudes fill our minds and mask our ache
A good thing, sudden and probably instant death
The way we all hope to end our lives
A better place, only the good die young

Repeat those trite remarks
Shake off the shadowing sorrow in our search for comfort
The days seem to have flown by since we heard the news
Each day we dwell a little less on his absence

But what of the spouse, the bereaved, the widow
It’s been two weeks for her also - two that have not flown by
No uninterrupted rest
Only heavy sorrow and swollen lids

If only she could roll back the time, the words
Just one minute, one embrace, one whisper of love in her ear
But her turn in the night finds only the cold and empty hollow
Blessed sleep is no more, only the weeping

Friends see and call her to ask how she is
She wants to scream back at them
How do you think I am, you imbeciles
Exhausted, sleepless, bereft beyond measure

Life is upside down
It will never be the same again
She answers her friends -
I’m fine, I’m doing better each day

The inquirers retreat murmuring
She sounds awful, it’ll take time
We’re praying for her
It’s been two weeks now

Praying for the other

Over at Country Parson today I was reading a post about intercessory prayer and it got to me thinking about prayers I've been concentrating on lately. I’m trying to pray more these days for folks I don’t always agree with and for those who really don’t care whether I agree with them or not. These subjects of my prayer would probably agree with me that the other, that’s them, that’s me, is totally misinformed, totally uneducated, totally inept in their evaluation of a situation (perhaps health care, comes to mind?).

I'm not doing this to make me holier than they are because some might even be offended that I would lift their name in prayer. I’m doing it for me, of course! Isn’t that what always motivates me to take action – when it affects me personally?

And how does it affect me personally? I’m not sure but the prayer makes me internally (and maybe externally) different in some way. Softens me toward the other as fellow children of our Creator, softens me in understanding they are trying to navigate this life as I am. It doesn’t change my mind about their opinion being the right one but it does soften the edge for me to understand that I do not have to declare the other an enemy just because we disagree. Yep, the prayer thing definitely makes a difference for me.

Any thoughts about praying for the other with whom you disagree? Softening, comforting or maybe just stupid?

Salute to Readers/Followers

I know that I, and many of my fellow bloggers, establish these blogs because we enjoy writing, expressing ourselves, stretching our minds and hearts but I'll tell you what...........this blogger really LOVES to know that someone is reading!

I know, I know that I have more than the five followers prominently featured in the righthand column today. But, I want to give a special thank you to those five readers bold enough to just say upfront, "I read the MINDSIEVE." With five upfront, that leaves about 38 - 43 of you "lurking off and on." For a blogger like me who checks occasionally, I am touched that anyone reads at all, but if you would like to be a listed follower, click on the words "follow blog" at the top of this page and voila, you too will be a celebrity in the world of the MINDSIEVE:)

Thanks as always for reading!

P.S. ......and just to let you know, I love you anyway even if you don't identify yourself!

Remembering

Words from Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey.....

The Companionship of the Dead
As we grow older we have more and more people to remember, people who have died before us. It is very important to remember those who have loved us and those we have loved. Remembering them means letting their spirits inspire us in our daily lives. They can become part of our spiritual communities and gently help us as we make decisions on our journeys. Parents, spouses, children, and friends can become true spiritual companions after they have died. Sometimes they can become even more intimate to us after death than when they were with us in life. Remembering the dead is choosing their ongoing companionship.

Yesterday's post here at MindSieve regarding MOMENTS was rattling through my head as I contemplated what I might post today. I took a quick break from reading to visit the bathroom. A book was present and begged for a read during my "down time." I opened to Nouwen's words above. These seem terribly important to me in this moment and in the many moments coming together the last few months in which I've been endeavoring to waken childhood memories of myself, my immediate family, my ancestry.

I'm also reading a fascinating book (on my IPhone) written by savant, Daniel Tammet, entitled Embracing the Wide Sky - A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind. This fascinating read quotes scientific research regarding how we remember through all of our senses - examples of remembering for me would be the presence of a tiny childhood school desk, or smelling blackboard chalk dust, or seeing a Christmas tree decorated with a little or a lot or way too many aluminum icicles:) With just a little coaxing sometimes, memories have come flooding back into my consciousness.

Over All Saints Weekend in October, I plan to attend a workshop entitled Honoring Our Ancestors,I don't know what I'll find during the retreat time, but I know that recently recalling with my siblings childhood and our early memories of family life together has had a meaningful effect on me, bringing joy, laughter and actual "aha" moments regarding the affect certain childhood incidents have played out in my behavior as an adult.

Have you had similar experiences in your life when a memory long-forgotten is prompted to join you in the present moment? Perhaps a Facebook comment or a blogger's post has tickled your memory. Over at Lucy's place yesterday, she talked about one of her memories, seemingly locked away in time that was resurrected by a friend's words. Do you have memories that you would like to unlock (perhaps some of them you would prefer locked away); recalling a scene from childhood is an amazing mind exercise and one you might enjoy. Let me know if you can resurrect something you thought you'd long forgotten. I would love to hear about it.