Dear Diane,

You had a beautiful life.
Long. Happy. Full.
I know how strong you were
Do others?
Always did the right thing
With ease, no matter what
others thought.
You raised two beautiful
and smart children. And,
You raised an invalid
husband back into a
strong and healthy man.

I remember much; I've known
you my entire life.
You and mom were best
friends for a long time.
You were pregnant with
my best friend when I
was in the womb.
You cared for me, and I for
You.
On your counter, in that
apartment, you taught me
what a tangerine was.
And a nectarine, and a peach.
We would play hide and
seek and I chose that
closet with the accordion
doors by the front entry.
We would make my
sister and Kristen squeal
with delight.

Your home was always
warm and inviting.
The laudry was "your"
smell.
And David would whistle
and help you keep such
a clean house.

In the mornings you often
made French toast. No syrup, 
just powdered sugar and
fruit, and we loved it.
We loved you.

We would play n your
supply closet, and nap there
when we were too sick
to go to class.

You had teddy bear picnics,
Green Eggs and Ham,
and little ones hanging
onto your every word.

You held our hands
You held our hearts
We loved your sense of humor
God blessed you so much
For that, we were also
touched, in our lives so
young.

You sang, you played the
ivory keys, you never let
us fail our Lord.
You prayed and kneeled
And worse fabulous dresses.

Every Year, you never 
stopped, You did what
you were called to do
And we respected you
In all your wisdom and
grace.

You let us walk alone to the
pool, and to have lemonade
stands that never sold
You picked up your children
and those of others, and
never let them frown.
The you prayed with us, and for us,
Or made us popcorn and
let us giggle all night.
In all your selflessness
Your beauty did abound

I will never forget you
You gave me so much to
be thankful for
I was like your child
Playing the statue game
Going home with you
every other day
Laughing, loving, singing,
It's all there
In my memories

You, David, me, Kristen,
Derek, James and Brittiany
Peggy and Jim
We were once together,
Family more than friends

Goodbye Mrs. Krogh, Diane
My second mom
You raised them well
And now you are asleep in
Christ with the others
And Peggy, and David too
Until we meet again on the
other side
With Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.


© Doniell Cushman. All Rights Reserved. This poem or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the author
except for the use of brief quotations in a review.