Infants Remembered In Silence (IRIS) - Poems

For That, I am Thankful

By Darcie D. Sims

It doesn’t seem to get any better…
But it doesn’t get any worse, either.
For that, I am thankful.

There are no more pictures to be taken…
But there are memories to be cherished.
For that, I am thankful.

There is a missing chair at the table…
But the circle of family gathers close.
For that, I am thankful.

The turkey is smaller…
But there is still stuffing.
For that, I am thankful.

The days are shorter…
But the nights are softer.
For that, I am thankful.

The pain is still there…
But it lasts only moments.
For that, I am thankful.

The calendar still turns, the holidays still appear
And they still cost too much…
But I am still here.
For that, I am thankful.

The room is still empty, the soul still aches…
But the heart remembers.
For that, I am thankful.

The guests still come,
the dishes pile up…
But the dishwasher works.
For that, I am thankful.

The name is still missing, the words still unspoken…
But the silence is shared.
For that, I am thankful.

The snow still falls,
the sled still waits,
And the spirit still wants to…
For that, I am thankful.

The stillness remains…
But the sadness is smaller.
For that, I am thankful.

The moment is gone…
But the love is forever.
For that, I am blessed.
For that, I am grateful…

Love was once (and still is)
A part of my being…
For that, I am living.
I am living…
and for that, I am thankful.

May your holidays be filled with reasons to be thankful.
Having loved and having been loved is perhaps the most
wondrous reason of all.

From Bereavement Magazine November/December 2002

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