ALIENS AND STRANGERS

AN ALIEN AND A STRANGER

She’s ninety-four years old

with her brilliant head still

resting on her bent shoulders.

My Elfin mom, always a petite

stunner at four foot, ten..

She never belonged here, was

always a deeper soul, wiser and

better than we could ever deserve

But that’s how God works.

Her quiet Joy through all things was

the perfect gift, a kind of manna

to sustain and share with us. It fed

her through The Great Depression,

World War Two, and three sons to

raise so she would have plenty of

good reasons to pray.

And she has.

Long and fervently.

Every day

and saved us all from evils

we don’t even know.

I’ve called fairly often from

halfway across the continent.

We don’t have much to say.

"Hey, mom, whatcha doin?

"Oh, you know, I just finished

my prayers. I’ll be getting lunch

ready in a minute, how are you”

“I’m fine, just wanted to hear

your voice, tell you I wish I hadn’t

moved so far away.”

“I know, I miss you, too…”

And so it goes.

Or went.

Her painful knees, dulled

hearing, and macro degeneration

have kept her down for a couple

of years now, but it didn’t stop

her from finishing her second

book. She says...

“There is none but God, only

He is Eternal. That He deigns to

walk with mankind is incredible

in its concept, and overwhelming

in its love.”

(Aliens and Strangers, p. 21)

She knows what she is talking about.

She’s seen it all, from the soft beauty

of great love to the knives of

heartbreak, and betrayal, but

never left the top of her mountain

and has always been a treasure of

insight and deep, well-earned wisdom.

She entered hospice care this week,

and I know she’ll leave us soon.

Don’t get me wrong, I know what

happens next… We, my brothers,

and all her beautiful progeny, will

cry for ourselves, and the empty

place she left behind.

We know she didn’t belong here,

and she taught us we don’t either;

gave us the sure knowledge that

in a dark and evil world, we will

always be Aliens and Strangers.

Beyond here is our true home, where

everything becomes crystal clear

and tears are impossible.

I like to think that being in 

the presence of God must be

like Tolkien described it...

“The journey doesn't end here.

Death is just another path,

one that we all must take.

The grey rain-curtain of this world

rolls back, and all turns to silver glass,

and then you see it. White shores,

and beyond, a far green country

under a swift sunrise.

Good-bye, Mom, I love you.

Author's Note

This is a rough draft, I will refine it when she dies. I'm a thusand miles from home and with her at my brother's house in North Carolina. Her only worry is being inconvenient in her needs. She just finished her book "Aliens and Strangers," a couple of months ago, and wonders why she's still here with nothing left to do. So we talk, and wait.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

my mom died in 2014 in Southern Pines, NC. Hospice and family by her side. I was 800 miles away.
She went through the depression also, a tough childhood...took care of us and loved us best she could.
And she is a resident of those "White shores" now.
A very loving write.
j.

[Vol]

Thank you, Jacob! It's a loss most of us must deal with...
This "poem" took me... oh... maybe twenty minutes.. it is just the raw ingredients in a bowl together, it needs to be stirred, put aside to rest, before it really comes together and makes a cake... She has rallied a lot since then, the labored breathing has calmed, and she rests easier. I mean, she's ninety-four! She's just fine, got this bull by the horns, and is confident and happy. She's good, so I'm good.

[Chris Shaw]

The finest of tributes to your dearest mom. Your lines shine with love and respect for all the long days of her living and the great influence she has had on your thinking and on your life. A little woman with a huge amount of resilience by the sounds of it, and a love for the Lord. Bless her heart.

May the remainder of her days be peaceful and surrounded by all the love and care she richly deserves.

I found this tribute from a son about his mom, extremely moving Vol.

Chris





.

[Vol]

We are like two old scholars full of mutual respect for the other's thoughts and wisdom...

[danielle.]

How beautiful, my mum is a vibrant 80 and I don’t want to imagine a life without her. Will you show your mum her eulogy? Would be kind of a shame not to!

[Vol]

Thank you, I will, or have one of my brothers do so. Though really, I tell here these things all the time.

[Lorry]

That is so beautiful Vol. To believe and know The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass. And then you see it.White shores.
She sounds like a mother to be proud of.

[Vol]

It is "Mother's Day" in America, And, yes, I owe everything I am to her, my dad, and the path they set me on. Blessed