Some More Memories

03 March 2012; Grumpy's Lonely Castle --

The other day, as we were investigating what valuable (sentimentally as well as monetarily) the things that the Grand Mother had stashed away in all of her "secret" hidey holes, Grumpy happened on an especially poignant poem that he wanted to share with the readers. [Grumpy has not read this poem in its entirety until this moment; I only read far enough to realize what a treasure of thoughts and emotions it contains. So I will cry as I write this post.]

As an introduction to showing the scanned images of Grandma's handwritten copy of this poem, the reader should keep in mind that she was with her Mother (Great Grandma Noble) when she died of pancreatic cancer in early summer 1971, after having endured the discomforts of Chemotherapy and perhaps also radiation treatments. [Now, perhaps you can understand why the Grand Mother chose not to have Chemo or radiation treatments for her cancer.]

I will transcribe the words as best as I can perceive them on this wrinkled, old and stained piece of paper:

This is the front side

"My Mother --"

"I held her hand as she died

or rather she held mine.

"It seemed so long.

I could only stand by

watching life flow from her --

So frail she was.

So little and so weak.

"Oh God, how much strength

it takes ....

To die.

And so I stood,

Her hand clutching mine ---

Her every breath a moan.

... and this is the back side.

"My own body

Grew weary 

Ached ---

Until I suddenly remembered

The times when I was little and afraid

And tired and even cross.

What strength there was 

And what comfort, 

Security,

Came to me from Mother.

"And now

My strength is hers.

To comfort, to console,

To reassure."

"Yea, tho' I walk thro' the ..... "

Blessed Jesus!

"Into thy hands I commit ... "

"My mother

I held her hand as she died."

And I held Mother's hand as she drew her last breath. Now I know how she felt when she held her own Mother's hand -- and how she felt as she wrote this poem.

Sincerely, Not so Grumpy