05 May 2015

Liberty






Silver-haired mother of four, grandmother
of hundreds and friend of the heart to me,
Liberty healed others with books she read
and dispensed—this 5-foot tall elder who
has the same middle name—Lisbeth—as I.

Wide grin under twinkly blue eyes, silence
held her thoughts until requested and then
her tree-ring wrinkles lifted as she spoke
and resettled perfectly around her smile. 
She won at scrabble, cheating guilelessly.

She gave away all her pots and pans but
one, divesting before moving into
assisted living.  We worshipped reading
aloud.  When her memory went, we found
the same passages thrilled daily anew.

Her ministry was one of loving words
and thoughts as they embraced each other and
mingled in sentences and paragraphs,
accumulated daringly between
covers, and then opened to spark freedom.









Copyright © 2015  S.L.Chast 



20 comments:

  1. Shes absolutely adorable..! :D
    Loved this sparkling tribute to her :D
    xoxo

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  2. loved the line of silence holding her thoughts... more people could learn this from her

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  3. "....... silence / held her thoughts until requested"...it's wonderful to be with a wise soul like this specially these days when showing off is the order of the day..and she knew the best way to win at scrabble :) a heartfelt tribute...

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  4. I like practical no nonsense women - she has wisdom but knows that people will only learn f they are listening.
    A true jewel of a friend

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  5. I love her "tree-ring wrinkles"! She sounds wonderful. A privilege to have known her. I especially love that "her ministry... of loving words.....opened to spark freedom." Awesome write!

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  6. What a beautiful woman. (Was she your mother?) Regardless she mothered you somehow by being your friend and allowing you to know her. You must have some of her within you. Wonderful tribute. She's lovely.

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  7. What an adorable personality she was! Absolutely loved it..it's like knowing her from the core. Great one... :-)

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  8. 'Her ministry was one of loving words' - what a fabulous way of looking at it, and what a fabulous calling it describes too. What an inspiring tribute this poem is.

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  9. Applause! You delight once again with your poetic concoction here Susan. I got teary-eyed as I remember my own grandma and the days before she ceased her breathing. So delicate, so at peace, so worthy of a lifetime of tears and remembrance. thank you for the sweet recollection. God bless.

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  10. I didn't know her as she faded, though I did visit a couple of times, so my memories are of a younger woman.

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  11. How we embraced and loved by so many in our lives each one adding to our knowledge, our understanding and our love for one another. What a beautiful tribute this is Susan.

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  12. I love the 'tree-ring wrinkles'. You do give me a very vivid sense of her; I almost feel I love her too.

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  13. There is no higher ministry than that of loving words. This is a beautiful poem, Susan.

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  14. Susan,

    It is wonderful to carry the memories of this wonderful woman, who shared her wisdom and good graces with so many. Her world is remembered in your fine tribute to her. An Elder most well respected and cared for, in these poetic words.

    Eileen

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  15. Beautiful tribute to a well loved Elder. I especially loved: "tree ringed wrinkles" :D

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  16. So much to treasure in this poem - the tree-ring wrinkles and the cheating at scrabble definitely made me smile - one of the benefits of getting older!

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  17. How beautifully you have honored her here.

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  18. She looks like a real sweetie !

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  19. Sounds like a wonderful person in your life.

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  20. A great tribute to a remarkable woman, Susan...

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