Peggi Trusty

When I'm Gone Peggi Trusty

Listening to the sobs of a grieving family one evening, I silently longed for some way to convey one last guiding message from the heart of a loved one who was now still. Each family member seemed to be wrestling with the grief on one of the varying stages. A sibling was angry. A grandparent sung her acceptance in familiar hymns. A parent was in utter disbelief, mumbling that she just wanted to wake up from this nightmare. As much as living is part of life, death is its sacred companion. The vessel that once carried the hopes and the dreams of generations now lies empty. I imagine a scenario where just before passing on the individual calls my name and hands me a note saying, "Give this to my loved ones when I'm gone." Such a note should speak to the grieving of each loved one processing the pain and then offer hope. While I have never received such a note, the poem entailed in these pages is what such a note would say.