Monday, August 16, 2004

A great loss

My great grandmother, Bregida, passed away on Saturday at the age of 99. She was a woman who was honest, spiritual, humble, hard-working, caring, joyous and gave one of the best hugs in the world. She tought me so many things througout my childhood and life and many parts of who I am today are because of her. Rarely do you get to ever meet a great grandparent, but I was lucky enough to spend 26 years in her presence.
In her memory is this poem that reminds me of her by e. e. cummings.
i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
-i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april
my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth's own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness
around me surges a miracle of unceasingbirth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains
i am a little church(far from the franticworld with its rapture and anguish)
at peace with nature-i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing
winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)

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