The picture of my sister Gayle was taken on the grounds of the Tower of London during our trip to England in the 1990s. We were headed to visit the Norman chapel inside the White Tower. I stopped to take a picture, and Gayle walked on. Today is the fourth anniversary of my sister's passing. With courage, she fought off lymphoma 17 years before she died from pancreatic cancer. I still miss her. For me, the picture is a stunning metaphor for Gayle's walk away from all of us who love her.
Please pray for her husband, Frank and her three children, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Please pray for me and for her many friends who still miss her. She was a wonderful person. She loved to joke and laugh, and she loved a good party. She was a good wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a good sister and a good friend to me.
Why Couldn't You Stay?
You walked away; you left us
Bereft, bereaved.
How could you go?
It wasn't your doing,
I know, I know.
Yet, how could you go?
Two years passed and gone,
Slipped away.
After you left, I'd think
I'll call her; I'll email.
Oh no! None of that!
You won't answer.
Now I know you're gone.
No thoughts of visits to come,
Seeing your face, hearing your voice,
The sound of your laughter.
Sadness lingers, emptiness remains.
Why couldn't you stay?
June Butler - 04-27-08
The Norman chapel in the White Tower is one of my favorite buildings in the all the world.
Image from Wiki.
Thinking of you,
ReplyDeleteHolding you in prayer.
ReplyDeleteRemembering you today, your loss, and all you have shared with us about Gayle these past years. Prayers for you and Frank and all the family.
ReplyDeletePrayers for all who miss Gayle so.
ReplyDeletePrayers for you all. And a big hug for you.
ReplyDeletePrayers for you and for all who miss Gayle. May her memory be a blessing.
ReplyDeleteAs has already been said by others - many prayers for Gayle, of blessed memory and for you and all who loved her.
ReplyDeleteMy love to you always Mimi.
You're in my thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteThe anniversaries are hard.
ReplyDeletePrayers for you and your beloved this day.
Four years - and the pain of her leaving is undiminished. Thanks for the posting.
ReplyDeleteWalking towards the church that Thomas Macaulay called "the saddest spot in Christendom".
ReplyDeleteGod bless you Grandmere.
ReplyDeletePrayers for you Mimi, for Gayle, and for all who loved her. I get agitated over certain "death days" in my life too, so I know where you are coming from, there.
ReplyDeletePrayers for you and all who loved Gayle, Mimi. In my mind I am standing where her ashes were scattered, thinking of you, of her, and sending you a long-distance hug.
ReplyDeleteFrank, thanks for leaving a word. I'll call you later.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your lovely words, kind thoughts, and especially your prayers. A few days before the anniversary of Gayle's death, I become anxious and agitated, even before the reason comes to mind. You've heard of circadian rhythm? Well, there must be some kind of annual rhythm that kicks in around this time. From now until May 5, Gayle's birthday and the day of her memorial service, will be a difficult time for all of us who love her.
Lapin, that the chapel which contains the headless bodies of so many is one of my favorite places, must be a testament to resurrection.
Paul, thanks for remembering Gayle's ashes scattered in City Park in New Orleans. Oddly enough, both Frank and I thought that was a pretty good day.
ReplyDeletePrayers wending your way from snowy Vermont not just for today but for the next two weeks as you walk this annual remembrance so full of feeling.
ReplyDeletePrayers ascending for you and yours.
ReplyDeleteprayers from me too, Mimi, for you & all your family. Four years is not really all that long when it comes to the death of someone very close, even if the worst of the grief is long over with.
ReplyDeleteOne day, we'll be saying this poem about each other.
ReplyDeleteHolding you in a prayerful embrace.
Thank you all for the prayers, from far and not so far, but still pretty far. The nearest is Hillbilly, my neighbor to the north.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, I moaned when I read your comment about the poem, but, in the end, I knew that your words were right and true.
Prayers for you and all who love Gayle. May the days until May 5 and beyond be filled with good memories of her and may you continue to feel God's loving presence as you think of her and miss her.
ReplyDeletePrayers for all who loved Gayle.
ReplyDeleteMy prayers are added.
ReplyDelete{{{Mimi---and others who loved Gayle}}}
ReplyDeleteAs my favorite book ending says (Love waaaay better than the end of the Bible! ;-/)
"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning." Thornton Wilder, The Bridge of San Luis Rey
***
Were you an Episcopalian, by the time you visited the UK w/ your sister (as pictured)? And the Norman Chapel? [If not, interesting foreshadowing]
Izzie and my prayers for you and all who loved and knew Gayle. The Norman Chapel is beautiful and peaceful and a fit place of remembrance for your sister. Izzie will be celebrating her birthday on May 5 and we will remember Gayle at that time too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping me to make it through the anniversary day with your prayers and lovely words. I send you all virtual hugs and kisses.
ReplyDeleteJCF, beautiful words from Wilder.
Or as my then 5 year old grandson said at the time of my mother's death, "If you love them, they live in your heart." I've cherished his words ever since. How's that for "Out of the mouths of children" wisdom?
JCF again. I must correct the date of our visit to England back to 1987, because I saw Lettice and Lovage with Maggie Smith (What joy!) in London while I was there. The play ran for two years, but I saw it before the revision, which took place in 1988.
ReplyDeleteI was not an Episcopalian, but I've been pretty well steeped in English novels and mysteries since my high school years, so I felt quite at home the very first time I visited England. When I began attending the Episcopal Church I felt as if I had come home.
I saw Lettice and Lovage in NY-- with Maggie Smith - what a joy for sure. BTW - have you read Barbara Pym?
ReplyDeleteAnn, the play, and especially Maggie, were terrific. I had a second row seat.
ReplyDeleteI've been all through Barbara Pym, more than once. I love her books. She has a wonderful gift of irony.
You, Frank and your family are in my prayers. May you all feel God's loving presence throughout this difficult period and always.
ReplyDeletePrayers, Mimi, for you, Frank and all who feel the loss of Gayle.
ReplyDelete