Update 4/9/2013--OK, well Leilani's sister informed me that she is not the author of the poem, but didn't remember who wrote it. I suppose that doesn't matter so much to me, as the sentiments are very real and appropriate for the pictures she includes here. It also is valid for any who have family and friends that have passed the veil of death.~
A friend of mine passed a few years ago, and I seem to mourn her still. She was forever writing poetry of rather melancholy subject matter. Some are very cryptic and probably mean volumes to her, but are more difficult for those of us who are on the outside looking into her mind. This poem, however, is so easy to understand based on the pictures she has attached to the hand written poem. Her mother just shared some pictures, and other wonderful things from her life, and I am so glad of this particular poem penned by Leilani.
It appears that she wrote this while her dog Melisa was still alive, but getting older. The picture is of Leilani and Melisa in a very familiar pose for them. It was Melisa's birthday, and they were celebrating it in her typical loving fashion. You can almost speculate what prompted this poem, and I find it to be comforting in so many ways.
I'm sure that she never meant this for those of us who have survived her untimely death, but it is ever so comforting just the same. The attitude of surviving after the lose of a loved one is just the way I want to carry on after those I love pass on. The message is move on. If you wish to grasp on to the lose, do it in ways that comfort others, and thus comfort yourself in the process. The phrase "Feed not you loneliness on empty days," just hits the mark when followed by "But fill each waking hour with useful ways."
This is how we survive the lose of loved ones. Let go, let them pass. A friend once told me that a Buddhist nun told her that when we desperately grasp on to the memory and agony of the passing of a loved one, and go into long and deep grieving mode we hold the spirit of the person or animal in this plane of existence. I'm not sure if I believe this, or not, but on the outside chance that this is true, I want to be able to let go.
The message here is to fill your days with useful ways; volunteer, take up a hobby, stay busy and take care of yourself. In the end you will be united again when you pass without fear, knowing your loved one is waiting to greet you.
~Namaste
I am sharing the words, as the graphic of it didn't scan well.
When I Must Leave You
When I must leave you for a little while
Do not grieve and shed wild tears, and hug your sorrow through the years,
but start out bravely with a gallant smile,
and for my sake and in my name,
live on and do all things the same.
Feed not your loneliness in empty days,
but fill each waking hour with useful ways.
Reach out your hand in comfort and cheer,
and I in turn will comfort you and hold you near,and never, never be afraid to die,
for I am waiting for you in the sky.