When a loved one dies – a message of peace and beauty

Beyond the rain
Beyond the rain
Jamie smiles most days now. Some days she hikes and is known to dance around her house at night to country music. She often makes plans to meet with friends for lunch and or take an afternoon drive through the mountains. They are simple pleasure but for Jamie they are immense leaps in living well.

Ten years ago Jamie’s daughter died and smiling was rare. When my son died in 2011 Jamie sent me a letter. She told me I would have grief beyond measure, but also joy.

She told me how she intentionally appreciated the world around her, seeing her daughter’s spirit in all that was beautiful. Jamie felt grief and still does, but she seeks out the gift of life and the memory of her child in all that surrounds her.

I liked that idea and over time I too found my son’s spirit in the rain, the autumn leaves, the birds in flight.

I wrote this poem for him and for all the people who have lost a loved on. Your loved one’s spirit is truly here forever more in all that is beautiful.

HERE FOREVER MORE

redwood forest You can see me in the forest
Or the wanderings of a stream
You can see me in the flowers
And the edges of your dreams

trails of morning light You can see me in the evening
When the stars are shining bright
You can see me in the shadows
And the trails of morning light

I am here

the distance calls (c)sbrink You can see me in the high clouds
Drifting streaks of wispy white
You can see me in the eagle
As he soars in freedom’s flight

I am here

winter snows I am here in every summer
I’m the warmth upon your face
I am here in every winter
In a snowflake’s frozen lace

The beauty of the Oregon forest I am here in every autumn
I’m the color in the leaves
I am here in every springtime
I’m the blossoms on the trees

I am here

IMG_1899_5762 You can find me in the mountains
You can find me by the shore
You can find me in the wind
I am here forever more

You are here?

lonely There are times when I am lonely
There are times when I am sad
As I struggle to remember
All the moments that we had

flowers So I walk amongst your forest
And sit beside your stream
I bend to smell the flowers
And hold you in my dreams

sunrise coral light I see you in the night sky
As the stars are shining bright
I see you in the sunrise
In the shades of coral light

The drizzle of the fog I see you in the snowflakes
In the drizzle of the fog
I see you in a bird’s flight
And the leaping of a frog

sunlight gold I see you in the summer
In the fields of sunlit gold
I see you in the winter
In the stillness of the cold

autumn leaves I see you in the autumn
As the maples change their hue
I see you in the springtime
In the blossoms dressed with dew

You are here
You are here

alaska moutainsI see you in the mountains
I see you by the shore
I see you in the wind
You are here forever more.

(c)shaun brink 2015
all rights are the property of Shaun Brink but please share with anyone who has lost a loved one. I want them to know they are not alone in their grief.

With gentle understanding.
Shaun

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3 thoughts on “When a loved one dies – a message of peace and beauty

  1. I loved your poem. I so believe our loved ones are around us as you described in your lovely poem. You have a beautiful way to express your thoughts and feelings with words, that I struggle at times to do. It is a gift to be able to do what you do.

  2. I like your poem very much. You know how to express your feeling and get reliefed. But people like me many thing inside my heart but cannot express it beautifully. After reading your poem it gives me strength even after missing our loved one.

    1. Dear friend, The sorrow of the passing of a loved one does not go away, does it? It changes us, leaving us with a bit of an emotional limp but also with the greater capacity to appreciate the wonder of life. I miss my son and my first husband, even here on a journey through amazing country. I also see them here in spirit and smile. Thank you for writing and for teaching others in your life who are younger about how to grieve in a healthy way and how to honor those who have passed by living well.
      With respect, Shaun

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