Finally Meeting With Michelle Poem by Bill Galvin

I’m glad we found the time to reconnect…
You were such a dear friend to Deb.
Our memories bring us together and to laughter,
When we recall our sweet Deborah,
And the episodes of our lives with her.
We hadn’t seen one another since her Celebration of Life.
An unintentional and unavoidable travesty
That our paths could not cross till now, five months later;
Especially since I and you had to work this thru together.
You know, I overheard you at the service say to someone,
“But I have just lost my best friend…”

Because of how long this meet was postponed,
I was unsure how I would feel; would I regress?
But you helped make it right.
When you first walked into the house, you felt her here;
And had the same response I did when I first came back;
You hesitate in your tracks, and lose a momentary breath;
But you brush those dusty memories to the side,
And concentrate on the good stuff… there is so much.

A full day of reminiscence from coffee to late lunch;
A life of good times from a good neighbor in the woods,
As Deb and I watched your kids grow into womanhood;
And fine young women they became.
Remember when your toddler followed your trail,
And showed up at our back door…
And Deb called you, ”Are you missing somebody? ” Funny.

Almost thirty years you and she walked a journey;
Workout buddies, inspiring one another to keep at it;
From trying new haircuts, and colors, to annual garden shows,
From kids parties to holiday cookie making,
You were a special one she wanted to be with.
And I’ll never forget the last Christmas, when she couldn’t join,
And you and the young ladies brought everything here;
And how she liked that, as we baked, talked, and drank wine.

You have stories to share that I don’t know;
And I like the one when Deb was holding your baby girl,
And since they both had blue eyes, a woman remarked,
“What a lovely daughter you have.”
Deb beamed, of course; and you knew she loved kids,
And would have made such a great mother,
So you let her enjoy the moment.

I even remember near the end…
No matter how poorly she was feeling before you arrived,
You could get her to laugh as much as she could muster;
Just by making fun of life and its ridiculousness,
As she fumbled with letter boards and speech.
Not many have enough loving grace and ability to do that.
We all strove to see that perfect smile as much as possible.

And that’s why when I found in her writing papers
An unsent card… “What It Means To Be A Friend”;
And asked her so tentatively what she intended, before ALS.
Deb told me, “Give it to Michelle when I am gone”…
It brought tears to me then, as now.
Nothing more can or need be said about that.

Thank you for bearing witness, and reassuring me
That all was done that could be done,
And that she actually knew that.
I know it deep down and have no regret,
But hearing it from someone who was there still helps.

I remain sometimes in awe at how fast it all came down;
But you were one of her most numerous visitors,
And at least we all got to say our goodbyes
Through the love we all showed.

We both now are at points where we need not shed a tear;
Okay, maybe a small catch, or hesitation, at a recollection,
But only minor water, and little over the dam.
But the fact we can share our deep and varied chapters
About our dear Deb, is something she would have liked.

Thanks for telling me you checked in on my progress
Now and then through my narratives online.
I never sent you links or updates, (wink, wink)
Since you only check your messages about once a month.

Glad you think Deb would like the deck plantings.
You and your Robert are welcome here anytime
That you find yourselves homing back to the area,
Or between stops in your travels.

As you put it so well,
She was a Pure Soul who had the Light,
And had such great effect on so many;
And, as I say, she graced those fortunate enough
To enjoy her spirit as they passed her in the field of flowers.

I just redirected the paths of some morning glory vines…
“When you wake in the morn, you’ll see what route to take.”
She loved these Heavenly Blues.

7-12-2015