Fran

It doesn’t seem right somehow.
You lying there in a hospital bed
Lighted by errant sunbeams drifting in.
Your kind and gentle face
Illuminated by the occasional smile,
Sadness lurking in weary eyes.

It seems only yesterday we sat talking…
And laughing….
And commiserating,
Not aware of the hurdles ahead,
Of new life challenges to be met,
Of the longest, toughest race yet to be run.

Every challenge has been met
With your usual style and grace….
And your incredible strength of faith.
Bound to a place you’d rather not be,
Yet continuing to minister to the souls
Of all…the familiar and unknown.

I worry the will to continue has ebbed,
That our time left is much too short,
That I’ll never have the chance
To tell you the difference you’ve made,
How important you’ve been.
You, my mentor, my saintly friend.