Gone From My Sight, That Is All

Last week we said goodbye to Grandma Eileen.  I traveled by myself for the services, as did my brother, so Tyson and I had plenty of time together driving around Minnesota and South Dakota for a couple of days. 

The celebration of life was on Friday morning, April Fool's Day, and since we know Grandma had a sense of humor, I bet there's a part of her that would've gotten a kick out of it.  The church is small-ish, and was absolutely full of family and friends to give her a fitting send-off.  Gorgeous flowers surrounded her urn at the front of the church, just like the flowers she had blooming all summer long on the farm.  We sang her favorite hymns, we had music by two of her grandsons, Robert and TJ (or "my Tommy", as she always called him), we had readings from two of her granddaughters, my cousin Sarah and myself, and my dad delivered the eulogy for his mother.  I don't know how he can be so strong.  Lots of good memories, laughter, and tears were shared by all.

After a lunch at the church, we drove on to the cemetery for a small graveside service.  Winds whipping across the South Dakota prairie in the bright sunshine, my dad recited this by Henry Van Dyke:

Gone From My Sight


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 her
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;


"Hooray!  Here comes Eileen!"


Her bright blue urn the same color as the sky, we buried her with a pansy I brought from Florida, one of her favorite flowers.  She and Grandpa are together again, and there were more hugs and tears all around before we departed.

Tyson and I stopped at the gas station and I grabbed a snack, Squirt and peanut M&Ms.  Abe smiled in the check-out line as I bought them, and I know Grandma would approve of at least this bit of junk food.  After all, I had already done my crunches that morning.  :)

A weekend full of memories, and I was so glad I could share in them.  My cousin Becci has summed up her thoughts here as well.  Grandma, we will miss you!!!