The silence was palpable
as I placed your ashes in their niche.
I wonder –
did they see me kiss your urn
or hear me say, “I love you”?
I should have spoken at the committal ceremony
but I didn’t know what to say.
How can you sum up years of memories
in a 15 minute window?
What could I have done
to show what our time together
meant to me?
You taught me unconditional love,
acceptance without judgement,
sacrifice,
faithfulness,
devotion,
humility,
all parts of what love should be –
the kind I’d never known before.
You helped me accept myself
for who and what I was
instead of feeling like my life
had been a series of failures.
You loved my children as your own
and cherished our grandchildren
as much as they did you.
You were a living example to me
of a godly man
even though you never claimed to be one.
You didn’t have to –
your actions spoke volumes.
There was no way
to put that into words
so I left it unspoken.
Your life spoke for itself
in those who loved you.
©10-23-2106
emergingclarity 