O Happy Interruption, O Beloved Intruder -
was it because you were so tiny that you were able to slip through
the barriers we had erected around our hearts?
How was it that your little hands, with grasp so weak,
were able to grip our hearts so tightly?
How was it that your quiet sighs and gentle laughter
could cut through the clamor of our lives
and bring us to a place of stillness?
How is it that one so small
could leave such a huge void by her departure?
You brought with you obligations and responsibilities,
chaining our lives to yours.
How then is it that your absence weighs so heavily,
and without you our days seem gray and leaden?
Had we known how things would end, would we have welcomed you?
Would we have opened our arms so wide
if we'd known they would be empty again so soon?
Would we have had the courage to love so deeply
if we'd known we would lose so much?
It must have been crucial, what you were sent to teach us,
for you were given so little time to say it;
a lifetime of love packed into three short months.
What can we learn from your brief time in our midst?
What can we learn from the severe lesson of your death?
Can love live again?
Is it worth the risk of loss?
Will we again retreat behind our barriers?
What will come into the vacuum left by your departure?
May love be your legacy, little Amelia.
May we grow in love,
and make you proud,
that you will not be ashamed to say of us:
“Those are the ones who love me.”
7 comments:
Sarah just posted this on Facebook for all to read. Such a lovely thing to write, thank you for sharing, it really touches the heart.
Dad, this is beautiful. I doubt there's a mother out there who could read it without tearing up. And I especially love the end. To make Amelia proud of us from her place in heaven: that's a good challenge to live by.
Really beautiful Roger, thank you.
Well said Dad, thanks for putting it into words.
Rog I just read this and wonder why no one told me it was here a week ago. It is beautiful, I did not know you had such a gift of expression. This is how I feel about Amelia...she truly gripped our hearts...we will have her forever, thankfully.
Miriam
I stumbled upon your blog tonight and read your post about precious Amelia. I am so moved by your words. I worked, as a nurse, in pediatric hospice for years and I know the grief and loss at the passing of a child. It is a life long loss and the briefness of their life with us is not diminished by the impact they leave on our hearts and lives. Here is a quote from Saint Therese that touches me, "The time may be delayed, the manner may be unexpected, but the answer is sure to come. Not a tear of sacred sorrow, not a breath of holy desire, poured out to God will ever be lost, but in God's own time and way will be wafted back again in clouds of mercy, and fall in showers of blessings on you, and on those for whom you pray".
Blessings in abundance to you and your family, rebecca
"A Song for [Amelia]" (2002)
So little time we’ve had with you
Sometimes it seems it’s not enough
So many questions, it’s hard to understand
We’re going to miss you tomorrow
But we thank God for the gift of you
Though we grieve the loss of you now
If we had the choice, we’d do it again
Nothing can erase the joy you’ve brought into our lives
So little time to say goodbye
With barely a chance to say hello
The reasons unknown, we entrust you to Him
We know that you are with Him now
But we thank God for the gift of you
Though we grieve the loss of you now
If we had the choice, we’d do it again
Nothing can erase the joy you’ve brought into our lives
Just enough time to change our lives
Enough time to make a difference
It’s hard to let you go, it’s hard to trust His plan
To surrender all the dreams we had for you
But we thank God for the gift of you
Though we grieve the loss of you now
If we had the choice, we’d do it again
Nothing can erase the joy you’ve brought into our lives
Originally written for another little girl like Amelia, whose presence on this earth was brief yet profound.
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