Thursday, September 25, 2008

Alissa's tribute

My daughter, Alissa, wrote the following poem about her struggles with grief and her love and hope.


I keep walking on,
Shoulders hunched,
Head down,
The hood on my dark jacket up,
The weather pefectly reflecting my mood.
Rain......sadness pouring from a rumbling blackened sky,
The river roaring in its anger, like me, pushing forward.

I see birds soaring,
Enjoying themselves,
Sweeping, diving, calling to each other,
Just enjoying the moment.

I push on
Still full of sadness and anger.
As I walk on,
I catch a glimpse of color
Out of the corner of my eye.
A Rainbow,
Faint, but there in the darkened sky,
Ending on a mountain top on one side
And disappearing into the town on the other.

Instantly, I was filled with hope,
My anger rolled away,
Slowly with the clouds.
My sadness dried up with the rain
Only a gentle mist of remembrance lingered.
My end of the rainbow moment God gave me
To remind me to push through the storms of life.

At the end there will be a rainbow.


Last year, Joshua gave me a prism. It sits in my dining room window, but the angle of the sun was not right to "catch the rainbow". Since Josh's death, the angle of the sun has been right and I have rainbows scattered across my walls and floor every morning reminding me of my precious son.

I miss you, Josh. I love you,

Mom