Monday, May 23, 2011

Great-Grandma Mizera

JD's great-grandma passed away a couple weeks ago. We were lucky enough to visit her just a few days before her passing. She was weak, frail, and so tired, but JD sat close to her and stroked her thin hair. He shared some sweet moments with her as I sat back on the couch and watched.  She was 91 and lived a full life. She was ready to go. When JD's grandma asked her how she felt near the end, she said, "I feel loved." And she was.

One of her trademarks was her poem writing. Here's a special one that was printed on her funeral program:

Handprints on My Heart
Dona Mizera

The children with their rapturous faces
Have left, and in the oddest places
A reminder of their visit I find
In dabs and shapes of every kind.
 
The windows, shiny when the came,
Can now be called another name
Around each door knob plain to see
Smears and smudges there will be.
 
The kitchen floor, a pattern bright
Show sprays of kool-aid in the light
Cheerios now nestle there
Beneath the table, everywhere.
 
The toy box in wild array
I'll clean again another day
For I'm exhausted, pleasantly so
In putting things back where they go.
 
With tenderness, I wipe each smear
And clean each stain both far and near
And feel that I am wiping away
Memories of a bygone day.
 
When my children were as young as these
With cuts and bruises, banged up knees
With hugs and kisses every day
To take the pain and hurt away.
 
I think of endless hours of fun
The precious memories of each one
The joy but sadness of the test
When each one left our homing nest
 
Now they return, bringing too
A joy that we never knew
A replica of their sweet faces
Who leave handprints in the oddest places.
 
What a sweet lady! We're so glad she's finally free from pain. And we're especially glad we'll get to see her again.

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