O’Connor Memorial Day #28

Today my family remembers our mother, Mary Elizabeth, who died on on this date in 1989 from pneumonia, bone cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.  She was weeks short of turning 63.  Looking back, she was the delightful, beautiful, and wounded woman who passed on to us the frailties and strengths of her side of the family.

I dedicated “In the Midst of Our Storms” to her and my dad saying, “You gave me enough and not enough.”  Isn’t that the wonder of life itself?  We miss you and love you, mom. –roc,sj

Thanks to John Staudenmaier, SJ (University of Detroit-Mercy) who sends great poems to brood in our hearts. Thanks for this one, John.

Today’s Post:  “The Unbroken”

There is a brokenness
out of which comes the unbroken,
a shatteredness
out of which blooms the unshatterable.

There is a sorrow
beyond all grief which leads to joy
and a fragility
out of whose depths emerges strength.

There is a hollow space
too vast for words
through which we pass with each loss,
out of whose darkness
we are sanctioned into being.

There is a cry deeper than all sound
whose serrated edges cut the heart
as we break open to the place inside
which is unbreakable and whole,
while learning to sing.

~ Rashani Réa