Altar
Call – Opelika-Auburn News
Walter
Albritton
March
13, 2016
Make today count
I picked up an old book this week, began
thumbing through it and got blessed. The book was written by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross titled Death
– The Final Stage of Growth, published in 1975.
The word “death” got my attention. In the
past two weeks death has claimed three dear friends so death and dying have
been on my mind. And with each passing of a friend, I am reminded that my days
are also numbered.
The book is helpful but the source of my
blessing was something written by a friend of Kubler-Ross.
The friend was Orville Kelly who, in his forties, became terminally ill with
cancer. In the midst of his suffering Kelly started an organization called
“Make Today Count.” Kelly’s purpose was to allow terminally ill patients share
and help each other combat loneliness and isolation. The organization continues
long after Kelly’s death to make a difference nationwide.
A dying man who wanted to live but knew
he had to bid adieu to his loved ones, Kelly shared his feelings in a poem
which he gave as a gift to Kubler-Ross. It was titled
“For my Wife, Wanda: Love Will Never Go Away.” It was first published in Kubler-Ross’s book on death.
As I contemplate my own passing, I wish
I could express my feelings with half the beauty of Kelly’s stirring words. So
now I share my blessing, what I consider one of the most beautiful poems ever
written:
Spring, and the land
lies fresh green
Beneath a yellow sun.
We walked the land
together, you and I
And never knew what
future days would bring.
Will you often think
of me,
When flowers burst
forth each year?
When the earth begins
to grow again?
Some say death is so
final,
But my love for you
can never die.
Just as the sun once
warmed our hearts
Let this love touch
you some night,
When I am gone,
And loneliness comes
–
Before the dawn
begins to scatter
Your dreams away.
Summer, and I never
knew a bird
Could sing so sweet
and clear,
Until they told me I
must leave you
For a while.
I never knew the sky
could be so deep a blue,
Until I knew I could
not grow old with you
But better to be
loved by you,
Than to have lived a
million summers,
And never known your
love.
Together, let us, you
and I
Remember the days and
nights,
For eternity.
Fall, and the earth
begins to die,
And leaves turn
golden-brown upon the trees.
Remember me, too, in
autumn, for I will walk with you,
As of old, along a
city sidewalk at evening-time,
Though I cannot hold
you by the hand.
Winter, and perhaps
someday there may be
Another fireplace, another room,
With crackling fire
and fragrant smoke,
And turning,
suddenly, we will be together,
And I will hear your
laughter and touch your face,
And hold you close to
me again.
But, until then, if
loneliness should seek you out,
Some winter night,
when snow is falling down,
Remember, though
death has come to me,
Love will never go
away!
In this touching poem Orville Kelly
shared some of the deep feelings I wish I could express to the marvelous woman
who has graced my journey for almost 64 years. + + +