Where Were You

Mother's visitation and funeral were held at St. John's Lutheran Church in Caledonia. It is a huge, beautiful church full of stained glass windows. The church is built in the shape of a cross and has a bell tower like many old churches did. It also has a full basement where funeral lunches are served. The evening of Mother's visitation, while the adults were gathered upstairs, my children and their cousins spent most of their time in the church basement together. When I went down once to check on them, I heard their laughter and their shoes clapping as they ran on the tile floor. I knew there was nothing Grandma would have loved more than to see her grandkids living in the midst of death. I've thought about this many times over the 17 months that she's been gone and have finally put it into words.

Where Were You

Where were you that sweltering

Summer evening

When people stood in line

To pay their respects

Your physical body

Lay in the flower adorned box

Gently resting

On pillows of silk

But where was your spirit

Now free

From the weight

Of its earthly form

Were you watching

As people hugged your children

And shared memories of you

From years gone by

Or were you in the laughter       

Of  your grandchildren

Playing together

In the church basement below

Did you notice how many

Gathered to honor

A woman like you

Who never did a lot

Or were you  with

Your grandchildren

Feasting on treats

You once loved so much

Were you looking

At all the items displayed

Showing the fullness

That was your life

Or were you running

In step with the grandkids

Their dress shoes clapping

On the hard tile floor

Were you noticing the beauty

Of the stained glass windows

In the gorgeous church

Where you’d worshipped for years

Or were you mesmerized

by the true beauty

Of grandchildren celebrating

Each moment spent together

Was your focus

On your own death

On our mourning

Our tremendous loss

Or were you focused

On the lives

Still being lived

By the little ones

I hear the words

You spoke many times before

And know where your spirit was

That day

“Suffer the little children

To come unto me

And forbid them not

For of such is the kingdom of Heaven”

You were with the children

Who teach us so much

Grieve a little while

Live, Laugh and Love Forever