25 Comments
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Edmund Tustian's avatar

I miss her - there's an African greeting: "I See You." - She always "Saw" me . . .

Ben Sixsmith's avatar

Me too Edmund. Great to hear from you, and hope you're well.

Bethel McGrew's avatar

Lovely, Ben.

Ben Sixsmith's avatar

Thank you, friend

Eliot Wilson's avatar

A lovely, warm piece; and, of course, it is precisely things like this that make up part of our memories, and other people's, and act as a tribute and thanks. It's almost six years since my mother died, and I still wonder what she'd have made of the world now, me now, and everything in between. But that wondering is also an act of remembrance.

Ben Sixsmith's avatar

Thank you Eliot! I'm sure she would have been very proud

Eliot Wilson's avatar

Possibly but she’d have said so only under duress…

Harry Hughes's avatar

I reach for the memories with you Ben. Sometimes they bring heart-warming smiles and other times a tear.

In your whole family I see her life and love living on.

Ben Sixsmith's avatar

Thank you Harry!

Civil Serpent's avatar

Beautiful piece. She also lives on in a screenshot that I took of a previous piece of yours which mentioned something she wrote. I often look it up when I need spiritual inspiration.

I don’t think I can post images here but I’m posting the text so you know what I mean:

“I love stars, fairy lights, candles and all the symbolism of light in the darkness at Christmas. Jesus was born into a dark world: brutality, oppression, poverty and disease. He grew to be a teacher who brought love, freedom, wellbeing and healing everywhere he went, teaching people about God the Father.

And when that dark world tortured, crushed and killed him, somehow he destroyed that darkness for ever. He triumphed over all the evil in the world, and everything in me, in us, that stops us knowing and loving God who created the world beautiful and good and will one day renew all creation. He is as close as a prayer, as a turning of the heart. It's my experience that His love is bigger than cancer. I believe His love is bigger than anything you are”

Ben Sixsmith's avatar

Lovely! I'm glad to hear that

Neil O'Brien's avatar

Beautiful

Paul Brian's avatar

This is so touching. Thanks for writing it.

Ben Sixsmith's avatar

Thank you, friend

Ben Sixsmith's avatar

Thank you, Cameron

James Foster's avatar

A remarkably touching read, thank you.

Aivlys's avatar

This was beautiful, Ben.

david tuber's avatar

That was very moving. Thank you. The voice fading feels familiar to me.

Schwarzgeist's avatar

This is really lovely Ben. I just lost my father and my mother is in early dementia, so this resonated with me.

Pivoting to prose and style, I really liked the "wrong restaurants" metaphor in the parenthetical aside. :D

Ben Sixsmith's avatar

Thank you, Schwarzgeist! I'm very sorry to hear about your parents