Janet

For Janet, from whom love flowed without ever pausing, to whom I dedicate this page, who embraced life with a zeal and a giggle. Near the end of your life, you watched your son get married, laughed with your friends, dressed up for Halloween, met your potential future in-laws, held your loved ones close; and with determination and against the odds, you had swum in a volcanic crater, glided across a zip wire, and done horseback riding. You were truly LIVING the months up to your going to heaven, not dying as many had feared.
Janet, when I read this poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye, I think of you. You are the energy, the love, the happiness, the laughter. You are life.
 

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
 
In my language, the poem may say:

Xin em đừng khóc bên mộ tôi.

Tôi đã bay xa, tôi đâu nằm yên giấc.
Tôi là gió thổi, là mây bay,
Là lóng lánh kim cương trên tuyết trắng,
Là ánh sáng mặt trời trên lúa non.
Tôi là mưa mùa thu rơi nhè nhẹ.
Khi em tỉnh dậy bình minh còn yên tĩnh,
Thấy những con chim tung cánh bay—
Đó là tôi rạo rực chuyến dạo chơi.
Tôi là ngôi sao chiếu sáng ban đêm.
Em ơi đừng khóc bên mộ tôi.
Tôi đâu có đó, tôi vẫn còn đây.
 
I thought I’d be crying, but I’m smiling. The sadness is there, but I feel a peace that is passed down from above, telling me you are free from pain and you are on a fun journey.

Dedicated to Janet Vo, who died on Christmas Eve 2013.

Collage #7

How do I love you

Let me count the way

One when you’re happy

Two when you have a pumpkin

Three when you’re scared

Four when you’re on the floor

Five when you cry

Six when you smile

Seven when you’re in orange

Eight when you play

Nine when you’re a-swinging

Ten when I hold you in my arms

…

Oh my goodness

This will take me all night

And all of the next day

And all of the next month

And the month after that

Until your first birthday

And I will not yet be done

Do you realize

It will take me a very long time

So let me just say

I love you ‘til all the numbers run out

Friendship

Looking in my friend’s eyes, what do I see?

Her passion never wavers, her strength never fades.

Her love’s always full, her life’s a great journey,

Her feet go where her heart leads the way.

Her heart touches so many others,

Her love fills so many empty holes.

Joy and laughter amid sorrow and pain,

We are the web that she cast, the strength that she built.

The Star of My Show

You’re the magnet I can’t escape

With the impish grin I can’t resist

My heart lurches, my head spins

You are the star of my show.

I turn around and see your face

I need your every angle, mood, and frame

Camera ready I take aim

You are the star of my show

On October 2013 Visit

Collage #6

Your sweetness permeates my being

Your smiles calm my troubles

You are a gift wrapped in love

Growing up in a sea of kisses

Happy 90th Birthday to Dad/Bill/Grandpa/Great-grandpa

It is a merry time, we

Don our festive clothes.

Joyfully we gather to

Sing a happy birthday song to you.

You have been a steady rock

On which people had leaned.

Today you’re to relax and

Let the fun begin.

So kick off your shoes and

Sit back on a chair.

Close your eyes if you dare,

But stay alert for a new fanfare.

Nine decades have gone by –

Your life enriched – love or travail.

As you listen to the music, let

It gently take you back in time.

Time goes fast and time goes slow –

Time twirls around in a beautiful snow –

Time brings storms that after passing through,

Leaves rainbows of different hues.

Time changes and time is the same –

Time is lovely as you gaze at her name –

Time is harsh when life is rough, but

Time always brings you love, hope, and dreams.

Time lets the children learn and grow –

Time mellows the hardships you go through –

Time multiplies the blessings you receive –

Time brings us together now and again.

So make sure you wear a big smile, for

Everyone is feeling fine, and

Everything is going to be alright,

The moment though will pass will stay a while.

Enjoy the tasty feast,

You deserve a lovely treat.

Far and near we come to wish you,

A happiest ninetieth birthday there has ever been.

Collage 5

I want time to slow

And summer not to end

So nothing’s growing fast

And the innocence remains

I put away the old collage

But not the images

Of winter, spring, and summer

The seasons when joy prevailed

I know when fall does come

Something will surely change

My love will stay the same

And the collaging will not end