Goodbye, My Friend

My friend, Shelly, passed away this morning. Jake called us, sobbing, to give us the news. Last week her body started shutting down. Although they were prepared for it, Shelly's family is devasted. She was only in her forties. Now her family mourns her departure. That's the hardest part for me, watching them lose her.

She was suffering so much. Her fragile body weighed less than 70 lbs. But she loved her family with every ounce of strength she had. She was a wonderful wife and mother. I imagine Shelly without any pain or worries, flying free and so very happy. I also imagine her watching over her loved ones, wiping a tear, or tenderly placing a hand on their cheeks.

Shelly's favorite flowers were sunflowers and daisies. Just a couple of days ago, Mindy took a beautiful bunch of sunflowers to Shelly, knowing that this would be the last time she saw Jake's mom. That sweet woman, on her deathbed, teared up when Mindy gave her the flowers. The last words she said to Mindy were "I love you." Such a beautiful woman. Goodbye, my friend.

Sunflowers

by Susan Windle

I have seen

the shape

of my soul.

The stem

I struggle to keep straight

is a fluid thing:

the head I would hold up

has not trouble

bowing down.

And what I would keep

new and moist

shrivels

with such ease,

as if my soul enjoys

every second

of its changing form,

and hidden

in each anxious fear is

a long

mellifluous laugh -

I have met the shape

of my soul.

What cannot be seen

is perfectly

clear.