POETRY FRIDAY IS HERE!
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All Souls’ Day
On November 2nd, many in the Christian tradition will celebrate All Souls’ Day, a day when we remember, celebrate, and for some– still mourn the loved ones we have lost.
When my brother-in-law died –far too young—I learned what so many others who have experienced loss already know: everyone’s grief journey is different. Absorbing the profound absence of someone you love takes time. The path is fraught with emotion. Breathing becomes an act of courage.
I’m not sure if the work of grief is ever truly finished, but I find comfort in John O’Donohue’s words:
…
Gradually, you will learn acquaintance
With the invisible form of your departed;
And when the work of grief is done,
The wound of loss will heal
And you will have learned
To wean your eyes
From that gap in the air
And be able to enter the hearth
In your soul where your loved one
Has awaited your return
All the time.
excerpt from “For Grief” by John O’Donohue
read the full poem here
And to those who read this post, who are walking the difficult path of loss – may this day of remembrance bring comfort and hope that your loved one rests in peace.
Join us for Poetry Friday
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Hi Patricia, thanks for your sensitive and caring post, poem, and for hosting the Roundup.
Thank you, Michelle. Let’s go BLUE!
I am touched by this, Patricia. And it was exactly what I needed. The husband of one of my closest friends passed away yesterday, and I am feeling all the grief. Thank you.
Rose, I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you will find blessings in his memory.
Thanks for sharing O’Donohue’s poem; I had just been thinking about two people — one a friend, the other a relative, who died earlier this year, and November is usually sobering anyway because it’s the month I lost two aunts. I don’t think one ever gets over a loss; one learns how to live with it. Thanks for hosting us this week!
Jama, I hope these early days of November bring solace with those memories.
A very touching poem, Patricia – and my sympathies for your loss. My dad passed a year ago, and there are still times it doesn’t seem real. Thanks for hosting!
I know you find great comfort in his memory, Matt. May the memories continue to be a blessing.
Patricia, what a poem. “that gap in the air” – makes me think of the way you catch your breath when the memory that someone is actually gone hits you again. Hugs to you. Thank you for hosting and for your generous heart.
Yes — both a visual and physical jolt, isn’t it. Thank you, Laura.
Thank you for this post, Patricia, and for hosting. My hubby Jeff (a psychiatrist) does a lot of work with end-of-life and grief issues, and he often shares this poem. Hugs to you and your family.
What a blessing to walk with people at such a poignant time in life. Thank you, Robyn.
Beautiful! I lost my sister-in-law far too young. Her birthday is Monday and I’ve been thinking of her. xoxo
Hugs to you, Marcie. I know our grief comes in all forms.
I am sorry to read about your own loss, Patricia, and I appreciate the brief poem that holds much. This one line touches all of me, “From that gap in the air”, a continuing experience after years. Thanks for your thoughtful post as our host.
O’Donohue’s words always touch me deeply. Thank you, Linda.
I continue to learn SO MUCH from John O’Donohue. His ANAM CARA book is so full of goodness and hope and wisdom. Thank you, Patricia! xo
Yes, I love that book, too! What a gift he had with words and faith.
“Enter the hearth in your soul” — a beautiful image by John O’Donohue. Thank you for hosting us so graciously and compassionately, Patricia.
I love the thought of my souls as a hearth –keeping me warm, tending to what the heart needs.
Thank you for this message of healing and hope. And for hosting us today!
It is my privilege Mary Lee.
Patricia, thank you for hosting Poetry Friday this week. I’m not familiar with this poet…but I think I should learn more about him. That resolution of the heart of one’s spirit. My goodness, I want to be there. What a beautiful and hope filled place to be.
O’Donohue was an Irish priest, poet, and prolific writer. I hope you enjoy some of his books.
Patricia, your words relating to grief “breathing becomes an act of courage” and “grief is never truly finished” ring true. Like a radioactive element with a half-life, grief never completely goes away.
Ooh…good metaphor, Tracey. I like to think our hearts continue to grow bigger around the hole that is left (a note of grace shared by a dear friend).
Thank you, Patricia, for this reminder that it’s ALL Souls’ Day, not All Saints’ Day as some would have it. Especially if you subscribe to the idea that none of us are saints but all of us are souls, or the equally blasphemous idea that all of us are saints. Either way, a day for remembrance, and I’m trying to remember the quote about grief just being the same love with no basket to tuck it in. Or maybe o made that up. Thanks for hosting.
I have to admit a bit of ambivalence about All Souls…at least the Catholic version (“we pray for the faithful departed”… no mention of the unfaithful, the struggling — maybe they should’ve named it Some Souls’ Day? — Anyway — I love your non-basket of love and grief 🙂
Patricia, thank you for hosting today. The shout out to All Saints Day and remembering loved ones no longer with us is powerful. I’ve experienced these lines so often with Phoebe and three siblings I’ve lost:
Suddenly with no warning,
You are ambushed by grief.
No doubt this day brings melancholy — Sending big hugs, Denise! Hope you get some more walking days in your end of our desert. xoxo
Thanks so much for your post and for sharing this wonderful poem excerpt, Patricia. And what a perfect image to complement it! I was especially touched by these lines:
And you will have learned
To wean your eyes
From that gap in the air
I did read the whole poem but the last stanza is what really stays with me.
We honor All Souls’ Day here in our house by burning a candle all day in memory of all the family members we have lost over the years. Hugs to you this day!
Wishing you a day soft on the heart, Carmela. xoxo
Patricia, it’s been a long weekend with grandgirls and I had no time to just be. Today, I hope to spen time reading PF posts. Yours touched my heart. The grief journey is always difficult. “The wound of loss will heal.” This is a beautiful thought. I lost so many friends at a young age and felt the sting of aging that leads to loss. I appreciate your words and hope that your empty heart will mend. Life is so uncertain and fragile. Peace be with you.
Uncertainty and fragility –feels like its everywhere right now. Praying for peace, especially this week!
Definitely!
Patricia, thank you for sharing this lovely poem and your reflections on grief. I’m so sorry for your loss. I’ve always loved Donohue’s poem “Beannacht”, but didn’t know this one. Thanks also for hosting this week.
Oh gosh, and I love Beannacht:
“And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.”
Patricia, I’m so sorry for the loss of your dear brother-in-law, and what a beautiful poem from O’Donohue. I’ve never read it before. I love the image of a hearth in our soul.
Btw, I too bristle at the prayers for “the faithful departed” — I lost both of my parents over the past year and neither of them were “faithful.” They didn’t identify with any religion or particular set of beliefs. I often borrow a line from Garrison Keillor when I think of my parents — “They didn’t believe in God, but there is evidence to show that God believed in them.” The rest of it is between them and God. ❤️ 🙂
I’m wondering, who did the artwork you shared? It’s so touching.
Such beautiful reassurance “God believed in them”! Thank you for sharing this, Karen.
And I am remiss, I realize…I forgot to credit pixaby for the opening art!