Wednesday, April 25, 2012

99 Years, 3 Months, 7 Days

A full life lived. Veronica Manning passed away today at 6:45 AM PST.

On behalf of myself and my family, our deepest gratitude to everyone who prayed and kept her in your thoughts during what turned out to be, with great mercy, her last few days.

• • • • • • •

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"

And that is dying. 


– Henry van Dyke 

• • • • • • •

- L.

2 comments:

  1. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.
    Tania

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  2. My condolences to you and your family for the loss of your Gram. I remember the stories and memories you've shared about her and know her spirit is strong in you and the boys.

    - M.

    ReplyDelete