In Aunt Helen's House

In Aunt Helen’s house, time seemed to pause in its endless journey, as if lulled into forgetting its usual sense of urgency.

Pale afternoon sun would arc across warm, wood floors and come to rest in the folds of a cardigan draped loosely over a chair. Logs would crackle gently in the  fire, filling the air with a familiarity that declared this was home.

The first thing one noticed about Helen was that each and every day of life was an adventure, a cause to exclaim, “Well, isn’t life wonderful”.

 At ninety-seven, she still  lived alone, yet she never had to fear feeling lonely. Family and friends, (of the two-legged and four-legged kind) dropped by daily to soak up the atmosphere of contentment in a life well-lived that Helen and her surroundings exuded. There was always a bracing drink for the humans and cheese and biscuits for the many dogs embraced as loving friends now that her days of pet ownership were behind her.

 

 With time, she weakened and could no longer get around as well as before...but she still missed little and continued to greet each day with anticipation.

 From her wing chair by the fire, Helen would tilt eagerly toward visitors. “Now tell me what you did today, dear,” she’d encourage us, her interest genuine, her focus centered on the response.   

When questioned about her own day, she’d beam widely and talk about the history article she’s just read, or give us her take on the latest news story. 


Of course, conversations inevitably came back to the widespread family she adored. It was clear we were all of us cherished.

 Helen’s life is the standard by which I’ve begun to gauge my own journey. I may or may not manage to write the book I’ve talked about for years, or finish getting my Fine Arts degree. Other interests may prevail, obstacles will no doubt demand my time and attention. 


But if I live each day to its fullest, and find joy in every one of them, as she did, I will be content. 

To the best of my ability, I want to be present in each moment , and if I’m fortunate enough to share my days with the people and animals I love, then I too will be able to say, “Isn’t life wonderful!”

We lost our beloved matriarch this weekend, when her tired body gave up the fight and led her to Heaven,  but we will forever bask in the light of grace that blessed those of us fortunate enough to be taken into her boundless heart.

Now it is in our hearts that she will rest with us always.

We loved you immeasurably, Helen. We will always remember your kindness, your generosity of spirit and your capacity to wring the best out of each day even when it seemed impossible. 

We will do our best to embrace life with the same vigour you did, and when we meet again, it will be to sit once more by a crackling fire and exchange the stories of our lives...

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Microfiction Monday and Thursday Think Tank

I originally posted this poem only to Mirofiction Monday, but as it is a good match to March 10th's Think Tank prompt, I'm adding a link back to that site....
http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2011/03/thursday-think-tank-39-ghosts.html#more
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I came across Microfiction Monday by accident, and was drawn in immediately by this intriguing photograph of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, a facility that housed the mentally ill in the mid-1800s, and has since become an historic national landmark.

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The site's host asks us to elucidate on the photo she provides in 140 characters or less.

This immediately came to mind...

Past empty rooms that
echo still with distant lives,
I tread with care…
mindful that the sly ghosts
of yesteryear reach out
to touch my heart and

draw me to their breasts.

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(140 Characters)

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For more of Microfiction Monday, do visit the link below...there is much good reading to be found there!

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http://www.stonyriver.ie/.

Haiku For The Jade Buddha

Gentle Jade Buddha,

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born of our hope that we might

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put an end to war...

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is carved from a solid block of perfect jade. The Buddha is on tour throughout major world cities before settling into a permanent home in The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia.

At a monastery just outside Vancouver, BC, I was fortunate enough to sit before him in a moment of contemplation.

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The Jade Buddha asks us to reflect upon peace, irrespective of our religion…peace for our friends, for our families and workmates…and peace in our own hearts and minds.

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In this manner, joy can win out over anger, and we may at last find our way to peace in the world.

Namaste...

I am linking this post to The Thursday Think Tank at Poets United. My thanks to Robert for wonderful words and much inspiration...

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http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2010/08/thursday-think-tank-prompt-11.html

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Hearts Find Me Everywhere!

Of all the things I’ve collected over the years, hearts have never been one of them. I have always found red to be a jarring colour, and had relegated heart shapes to the territory of Valentine’s cards and inexpensive chocolate boxes. Never a motif I used in any kind of artwork, it was clear hearts were not for me.
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The Universe has decided to correct me on that! Wherever I go now, hearts find me, in spite of myself.

I came across my first heart rock in England a few years ago. I was visiting a cousin I had not seen since we were both children many decades in the past. In spite of the years and the geographical distance between us, I found myself completely at home with my cousin Michael. He was, quite simply, family, and I responded instinctively to that connection. He walked me down to the beach near his house and the first thing I came across was a tiny heart-shaped rock in the sand, just waiting for me to pick it up. Needless to say, it remains a favourite souvenir from that holiday.
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From then on, hearts began to find me regularly.

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A ripped leaf flattened onto a wall by pelting rain…
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A drawing in the sand, perhaps the work of a lovelorn teen…

A heart-shaped shell nestled into place, as if put there for ornamentation…






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And this past weekend, a busy holiday for us here in British Columbia, I walked on a beach filled with hundreds of people along the length of it, and this beauty appeared at my feet...a perfect speckled heart, unnoticed or ignored by the many people who must have passed by until I came near. It would seem it was meant to be mine!

Clearly, I must surrender to the wisdom of the Universe!

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Hearts find me everywhere…and then they follow me home.

Apparently, I do collect them, after all!
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A Birthday Poem

Being Me!

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Because I’m sixty-three today, I’d like to make it clear,
That no one, condescendingly, had better call me “dear”!
I drink..I laugh..I even swear..I dance about with glee,
I might be getting older, but I’m happy to be me!
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The years have left their toll, it’s true, I have a few gray hairs,
And there’s no doubt I’m slower getting up and down the stairs!

But in my heart I’m seventeen, and life is still a blast,
I greet each morn’ with joy renewed, and celebrate the past.
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No canes for me, no rocking chair to glue me to TV.
There’s still so much I need to do, and even more to see.

There’s always one more chance to be who I was meant to be,
To shout out loud that I’m still here…alive, much loved and free!
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I’ll charge ahead and make each day a chance to do my part
To make this world a better place and offer up my heart.

So celebrate today with me, life’s much more than a clock.
Just watch me and I’ll prove to you that sixty-three can rock!

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July 20th, 2010

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