I don’t feel like writing today.

In the next two days I have two funerals to go to. The first is for my grandmother, Gwendoline Mary Jones, who was one of the most amazing women I have ever met. The second is for my Speech and Drama Teacher, Helen Love, who made me laugh and learn in equal measure.

So today I am going to post a poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye, which reminds us that our loved ones are always with us as they live on through us. ‘Do Not Stand by my Grave and Weep’ is dedicated to absent friends everywhere.

 

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.