To lose a someone who has the most wholehearted acceptance into your soul is one of life’s most devastating heartbreaks. We lost my Dad a few months ago to melanoma. This quote from Saint-Exupery was read by my Dad’s law partner at his funeral and I think it speaks so true to how you feel when you lose someone you love.
I felt compelled to share this Sainti-Exupery quote because a neighbor recently gifted me a “plant a seed grow a memory” in honor of my Dad. I was touched…It’s such a perfect gift because Dad loved trees! His garden might be locked but the memories are there forever.
“Bit by bit… it comes over us that we shall never again hear the laughter of our friend, that this one garden is forever locked against us. And at that moment begins our true mourning, which, though it may not be rending, is yet a little bitter. For nothing, in truth, can replace that companion. Old friends cannot be created out of hand. Nothing can match the treasure of common memories, of trials endured together, of quarrels and reconciliations and generous emotions. It is idle, having planted an acorn in the morning, to expect that afternoon to sit in the shade of the oak.“
THE most important thing that I’ve learned from my Dad is to “SMILE.You’ll feel better! Just let the corner of your mouth move upward ever so slightly and you have a start on it that won’t stop!”
If you’ve lost someone you love, I wish you peace in the beautiful memories you shared. Maybe you’ll try to plant a seed and grow an oak tree. It’s making me smile for my Dad.
I’ve written many posts about my Dad in the past. These are some of my favorites if you’d like to see…
Ten things I’ve learned from my Dad
Mockingbird Station: Mari Pohlman’s Summer Strong Visual Cue