Going Away

Walking to-day on the Common,
I heard a stranger say
To a friend who was standing near him,
'Do you know I am going away? '
I had never seen their faces,
May never see them again;
Yet the words the stranger uttered,
Stirred me with nameless pain.

For I knew some heart would miss him,
Would ache at his going away!
And the earth would seem all cheerless
For many and many a day.
No matter how light my spirits,
No matter how glad my heart,
If I hear those two words spoken,
The teardrops always start.

They are so sad and solemn,
So full of a lonely sound;
Like dead leaves rustling downward,
And dropping upon the ground,
Oh, I pity the naked branches,
When the skies are dull and gray,
And the last leaf whispers softly,
'Good-bye, I am going away.'

In the dreary, dripping autumn,
The wings of the flying birds,
As they soar away to the south land,
Seem always to say those words.
Wherever they may be spoken,
They fall with a sob and a sigh;
And heartaches follow the sentence,
'I am going away, Good-bye.'

O God, in Thy blessed kingdom,
No lips shall ever say,
No ears shall ever harken
To the words 'I am going away.'
For no soul ever wearies
Of the dear, bright angel land,
And no saint ever wanders
From the sunny golden land.

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

My Brother’s Fishing Pole

I saw my brother
Sitting by a lake so smooth and clear.
I saw the fishing pole in his hand.
I was reluctant to interfere.

But I yelled and waved.
He nodded and waved back.
I slowly walked across the field
Struggling to stay on track.

“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Are there not better things to do?”
“I need this rest,” he said.
“Before coming home for you.”

He looked so peaceful,
Calm and free from strife.
There had been few peaceful times
In his very troubled life.

I was so pleased to see
The gentle look upon his face,
The lines of fatigue and worry gone,
The glow of love was in their place.

I was so happy for him.
My joy he could easily see.
I had worried so about him
Now his pain had been set free....

And as I awoke from this sweet dream
With images still so clear,
I slowly realized that
My brother was not here.

Was it yesterday,
Or the day before?
I had attended his funeral.
He was alive no more.

But now I understand
What Heaven is about.
It’s a place that is free
From all earthly fear and doubt.

And now I truly know
My brother’s in a better place.
For God allowed me a glimpse
Of the peace upon his face.

by Sharon Tanner

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For my dearest friend, whose beloved brother died of leukemia two days ago, may you and your family find solace in the thought that Neil is now finally at peace.

To let go does not mean to stop caring,
it means I can't do it for someone else.
To let go is not to cut myself off,
it's the realization I can't control another.
To let go is not to enable,
but allow learning from natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness,
which means the outcome is not in my hands.
To let go is not to try
to change or blame another,
it's to make the most of myself.
To let go is not to care for,
but to care about.

To let go is not to fix,
but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge,
but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be in the middle
of arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others
to affect their destinies.

To let go is not to be protective,
it's to permit another to face reality.
To let go is not to deny,
but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold or argue,
but instead to search out my own
shortcomings and correct them.

To let go is not to adjust
everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes
and cherish myself in it.
To let go is not to criticize
or regulate anybody,
but to try to become
what I dream I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past,
but to grow and live for the future.

To let go is to fear less and love more
Remember: The time to love is short

--author unknown

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In my life I had to let go of a lot of things... a few good friends, a couple of love ones, love unrequited, heartaches from my past, my obsolete ways and thinking, plans which would not materialize no matter what I do, some unpleasant memories, traces of bitterness, anger and resentments -- all because I know that if I don't, I will never be able to move on and experience the other beautiful things that life has to offer...