Outside of reading and writing, I love crafting. I found old hymnals at a thrift store and utilized this little wooden angel ornament to make something new. She was inked and up-cycled into a Christmas card. I lost my mother in December, so finding creative ways to celebrate her memory (angel/singing hymns) makes me feel productive.
Grief might grabs hold and squeeze tight, but I fight back with scissors, glue, and sparkly things until I smile.
Those of you who have read my book, Eulogies Unspoken: Stories of Worth, will understand the significance of this poem and the choice of the angel for this Christmas card.
God’s Plan
Poinsettias emphasize
year after year
Remembrance Day:
Mother and God
stopped speaking
and listening to me.
I begged God,
“Let her live.”
God’s plan
defied mine.
For Christmas:
A lavender casket,
purple church dress,
poinsettias, I’ll Fly Away…
I begged God,
“Let me die.”
God’s plan
defied mine.
For Christmas:
poinsettias bloomed
year after year
life–death–cycled on
I begged God,
“Let me live.”
God’s plan
complied.
A tiny angel He sent
holding guided messages
upon golden feathers
She spoke; He listened.
Author of Eulogies Unspoken: Stories of Worth, Caring for Dad: With Love and Tomatoes, and the YA novel Love at the Center of Grief, which won an IPPY award! Most recently, I wrote the sequel, Beyond the Center of Grief. It is my mission to continue my Summerfort Grief Series for teens. The deaths of my parents inspired me to write. It's my goal to share my grief journey through stories and poems. I write from the heart with the hope to help others heal. I volunteer as a group facilitator at the Lost and Found Grief Center in Missouri. And for twenty-five years I was an at-risk teacher for grades 9-12.