loss

Losing a loved one is never easy but after you watch them in pain you know that what comes after this life, is better than the life they are living. Of course, you'll miss them, but their being free of pain and hurt is more important than any selfish desire you have for them to continue on living so that you don't have to experience the grieving of their going. 

Most of time when life deals me something difficult, I find solace in a song. When I lost my grandfather (mom's dad) just two short weeks before our wedding, I found comfort in "When All Is Said and Done" by  Tyrone Wells. Now, after the passing of my dad's dad, I find comfort in another of Tyrone's songs. (Hear it here.) The comfort I find in this song is not because the words themselves are reassuring but rather because the words remind me that death is something we all experience. Every one of us is guaranteed it. When we recognize that and take it to heart we can lose the fear that is often felt about dying. I can honestly say the fear I have of my loved ones death is greater than the fear I have of my own. So with each one lost I find hope and peace in knowing that it's another familiar presence to be found when I pass from this life onto the next. There isn't a song of Tyrone's I don't love, he is an amazing singer and songwriter as well as a great friend. 

Let Go

time, will rob you blind, take everything you have to offer
love, sweet when it comes, saves all us beggars, priests, and authors
and oh, how do we let go when someone we love slips away in the shadows
well it's hard to see you go, 'cause you mean everything to me
and the seeds that you have sewn will live on deep inside of me

it's time, you're leaving now
your hands are cold as I kiss your brow
and I will try, but I don't know how
to let go
to let go

years, fly without fear, turning a boy into a father
and now he smiles, through tears down the isle
as he gives away his youngest daughter
and oh, how do we let go when every new step leads us into the unknown
and it's hard to see you go, 'cause you mean everything to me
and the seeds that you have sewn will live on deep inside of me
it's time, you're leaving now
your hands are cold as I kiss your brow
and I will try, but I don't know how
to let go

and every new morning, all I can do
is hold onto the promise that we all hope is true
that when it's all over, when this life is through
I'll wake up in heaven and run to find you

well it's still hard to see you go, 'cause you mean everything to me
and the seeds that you have sewn will live on deep inside of me
it's time, you're leaving now
your hands are cold as I kiss your brow
and I will try, but I don't know how
to let go
to let go
to let go
to let go

Grandpa Hansen, I'm thankful for the memories we share. The songs you sung, the spoon playing you taught, the art you inspired with. I'm thankful for stories of your growing up in South Dakota and your family there. I'm thankful I got to watch you dance at our wedding and that almost every time after you told me that it was one of the best memories of your life (probably because of all the ladies around you!). All of these things I will count as blessings until we met again. I know that you are entertaining the angels.

Grandpa Dale Leroy Hansen

April 12, 1932 - October 30, 2011