Sing Sweet Nightengale

A Heart of Love

A rough exterior can’t always show, 

something deep you’d want to know.

 Of a heart that yearns to ease the way,

to the make the most of every day.

It might be with a nurses touch

the right care that means so much,

to comfort someone young and sweet,

or a challenging person you happen to meet

A heart that loves every beast and plant,

who ministers care when other can’t,

who never backs down when things get tough,

who believes her love can be enough.

Sweet music can be found there,

a Nightingale voice so pure and fair,

A song to lift a spirit  laid low

to higher places all aglow.

Hidden there was an amazing space,

Where each daughter and grandchild held a place.

A spot for Juanita, Marijane and others,

I was there with my sisters and brothers.

I looked and saw that beautiful heart,

that in equal measures held love and hurt.

That wanted so to take care of every need,

to plant a loving kindness seed.

Thank you sweet sister girl, for the heart you gave,

I could see these last days that you forgot to save

Enough for you. You gave the last bit away.

I watched it go, so sad you couldn’t stay.

But I hope to let that  kindness seed grow

to reflect your heart in the love I show,

and in my heart you’ll always be

Young, beautiful, and blissfully carefree.

You’ll sing a song in a brighter place

Well and whole with Jesus face to face

And I’m sure you’ll find someone there

Who’s waiting for that loving care.

My sister Glenda never fully recovered from the heart surgery she had in February - for good reason we now know.  A horrible cancer that metastasized to her liver, causing the liver to enlarge to point of squeezing out her very life.  This horror was exacerbated by the fact that she knew something was very wrong, but could not get the doctor to take her concerns seriously.  Finally, they put her in the hospital last Thursday evening, finally ordering the CT scan on Saturday where they discovered a monster too big to handle. She died this morning at 7 am.  She has cared for so very many through her 63 years, especially my Mom.  We are all a bit devastated and shell shocked.