remembering mom...

I think I posted this a year ago today. But that's okay with me. I can make it a sort-of annual tradition. Today marks the seventh anniversary of the beginning of my mother's new life in heaven. I wrote this on the one-year anniversary of that beginning.

When liquid prism raindrops darken the path where I tread,
And thunderstorms spill ravenous but sweet upon my head,
It is then that I remember.
Behold the days of puddle-jumping up and down the street.
Gazing when it finally stopped at how everything looked:
so fresh, so green.
Breathing in the cool, clean air,
wishing we could always remain there.
When sunshine sneaks its way in through my window again
Like a long lost friend I haven't seen since who knows when,
It is then that I remember.
Behold the endless days of summer get-aways,
And sleeping late until the sun warms my face.
Climbing mountains, making wishes in fountains.
Roller skates, bike rides, somersaults and cartwheels
- playing in the yard.
Sunrises, sunsets, outdoor meals
- never thought remembering would be this hard,
A kite to fly and fireworks on the Fourth of July.
When leaves turn from green to gold to orange to red and brown,
Wood burns in fireplaces and cold and hard becomes the ground,
It is then that I remember.
Behold the cool nights of hayrides and bonfires that crackle,
Hot cocoa to hold and echoes of laughter.
Dressing up as hobos to collect all those candies and treats.
School starts again, making new friends,
Tasting the first eggnog of the year, thick and sweet;
Nights would get longer and we'd pull out our flannel sheets.
When snowflakes whiten my world with frost on glass
- fresh beauty unfurled,
And ice breaks the trees of their fragile leaves,
and drops them into the past,
It is then that I remember.
Behold long winters of Christmas caroling,
Holding on tight while down the hill we'd go barreling.
Forts of white stocked with weapons of snowballs,
Ready to fight; afterward snow angels and sugar plum dreams for all.
All cozy and warm curled up by the fire;
telling stories while we sipped hot cider.
When nighttime comes like the magic of a whisper
That moves me to lean in as though to keep it there -
Right there in the intimate air
between me and the one who whispered,
It is then that I remember.
Behold the nights of silvery lights:
white diamonds on a black velvet sky
Gazed upon by so many in a life gone by.
You once stood too in awe of what surrounded you.
But I remember this a different way,
It was your beauty your light that took my breath away.
Only you could make a trillion stars seem to go out at night.
As each second passes and I view this world
through rose-colored glasses,
It is then that I remember, I cherish, and I treasure
Your life, your breath,
and all you left me in the short time you spent on earth.
Like memories that did not go with you and faith beyond measure -
Priceless things, valuable things,
intangible things of boundless worth.
Though your face glowed a silvery gold and outshone the moon
I'll always remember it as the light that went out too soon.