Sunday, September 14, 2008

Spring and Autumn

It was my daughter's 8Th birthday yesterday..along with a few of her friends we trooped of to the local Ten Pin Bowling alley and Pizza Hut. Today, friends of ours gave Annie this lovely bicycle. Here she is pictured outside our house prior to her first ride...she rode beautifully and spent the rest of the evening going up and down the street.



Earlier we had noticed Ambulance and Police outside a house at the end of our street..my boys went down to find out what was happening as the ambulance seemed to be outside a friends house.Indeed it was..the sad news returned that the father of their friend had died suddenly ...later whilst i stood marveling at Annie cycling against my stopwatch, the young man from down the street came to talk to me..how unutterably sad it is..I could only tell him I had walked the road of bereavement several times before, but words are still hard to find that convey what one wants to say...My good friend Margret across the road also lost her Mother a few weeks ago .... again words have failed me....I know that each time some one confronts the loss of someone near, I also have to confront yet again the pain that is always there...perhaps I've not resolved the grief process..

Today Annie cycled the street in her spring time years..whilst another left this world at the end of their autumn....

4 comments:

Devil Mood said...

Happy belated birthday to Annie! I'm glad she's happy with the new bike. I remember when I got a bike, well, the 2 times I got a bike. And your street looks so wonderful and english. I'm jealous :)

One way or the other we all have trouble confronting death and knowing what to say because there is nothing to be said, not really. It's a real shame that your sons' friend lost their father so soon. :(

nonizamboni said...

Why wouldn't it be difficult to swallow the pain of another's death? At least you can recognize it. . .and still capitalize on the beauty of your daughter's 'spring time years.' Its all a pretty big mystery sometimes, yes?
Take good care.

Tys on Ice said...

wish lil annie happy birthday from my family...shes adorable..

may the earth cushion her falls and may the winds wrap her in her rides...

abt death...been reading this book called Tibetian Book Dying and Living...I wud recommend it to you...dont confuse this with the Tibetian book of death....this is abt handling it and overcoming it..

Maria Lynn Gattuso said...

Such is life and death huh Niall? They always happen simultaneously. Somehow the yin should stand alone but never does...in comes the yang and there's the balance. We are so human. God bless you and your friends and their loved one who has crossed over. One day we will see them on the other side. In the meantime you gotta keep riding! (Love the bike - mine had a banana seat...my friend from down the block (Madeline) taught me to ride - Dad was too busy.) You and Annie are blessed. Hold tight.

Namaste,
Maria