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A Sister's Heart

12/13/2016

7 Comments

 
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The hardest part is not knowing why.
During the small hours—those cold silent dark mornings—I think of him.
There’s no room for judgment. Not anymore.
Maybe he thought I couldn’t handle what he had to bear.
Perhaps I don’t possess the strength.
I wish he’d given me a chance.
I would have given him my shoulder—an unsteady one—but a shoulder . . . and a sister’s ear.
I should have listened.
I listen now.
The last time I met his stone was the day he was buried.
As I walk to his resting place, slumped shoulders droop under a long coat pelted by lumbering raindrops. A man stands with his back to me. He knows I am here, but the pain will not allow him to greet me. I wrap an arm around his back and rest my head upon his damp shoulder.
No words.
He is a hollowed man—a father to only me now.
A single flower held by limp fingers bends under the weight of the pouring rain. With an impotent flick of his wrist, the flower falls to the earth where my brother rests in eternity.
 
“Perhaps the tragedy of death is not ​that those we love have died, but that we go on to live.” VH
 
I’ll see you between the pages.

Best,
Van Heerling

7 Comments
Laura Taylor link
12/13/2016 08:31:36 am

Brilliant writing - as always!
Hugs, LT

Reply
Van
12/13/2016 08:47:09 pm

Thank you Laura. :)

Reply
Denise Liebig
12/14/2016 04:46:00 pm

This was beautiful, Van

Reply
Van
12/14/2016 08:52:27 pm

Thank you so much Denise.

Reply
Paul Rega link
1/25/2017 03:03:08 pm

Heartfelt....

Reply
MARTY MCDONOUGH
3/11/2017 06:34:39 pm

You have skills my friend, keep up the good work.

Reply
Christine Hatcher
3/16/2025 01:15:49 am

Excellent

Reply



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    I WOULD RATHER LIVE SEEKING MY OWN DREAM AND FAIL EVERY DAY, THAN TO LIVE ONE DAY PURSUING SOMEONE ELSE’S DREAM, ​FOR WHICH I CARRY NO FAITH.​ ~vh~

    ​Competence manifests when knowledge and practice come into harmony. ~vh~

    Ultimately everything is temporary. ​~vh~

    Live in the present with an eye on the horizon. You never know what is to come. ~vh~

     Reality: That destination in life where dreams die and sorrow is born. ~vh~

    ​If my past dictates my future, then I am heading toward several more failures followed by at best, mediocrity. ~vh~

    The muse has tapped my shoulder and my ear is turned toward her lips. I am waiting for her whisper. ~vh~

    "The darkness within that seems to surround us, I assure you is nothing more than illusion—for we are the light. Shine brother… shine!" ~vh~

    ​Writing is easy. You just transcend to a higher echelon of existence and place your hand on God’s shoulder for a moment. See…nothing to it.

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    “In this life, seek your own answers, and quote yourself for a change.” ~vh~
    “Why are we here? Perhaps there is nothing better to do.”~vh~
    “In the end it will be you and your reflection.” ~vh~
    “Ultimately, absolutely everything is temporary.” ~vh~
    “How far must I travel?” the boy asks. “Just one step more than you think you can achieve,” HE replies. ~vh~
    "As a writer:
    I don’t just make stuff up.
    I imagine new worlds and the people within them. And then quietly and with a curious eye, I spy on them to see what they will do next." ~vh~ 

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