In Sorrow and In Joy

In Sorrow and in Joy (For my wife Barbara) By Franklin Price 01/18/2022 I - Looking Back I'm looking back on year just past in sorrow and in joy Thinking of the future and the thoughts I should employ More than two and fifty years of life, you were the soul mate of my dreams For a year I've been without you or, it might be, so it seems You're still within my heart and mind. You are with me every day You are looking down from heaven and will never go away I can see you in our daughter and in her daughter's two You give me strength to carry on and to do what I must do Since Jesus came and took you home, where you're sitting by his side The world has kept on turning, I'm still on it for the ride I know you saw the year go by, without you, here's what's new My year of sorrow and of joy, I now write to share with you On the night that you were taken, Danielle Dawn and I were here We held you and each other and God took you, that was clear The priest said prayers over you, you were just barely past Both of us were in great sorrow. You were finding peace at last That was January 18th. It was on a Tuesday night When they came to take you, we held each other very tight We were joyous that God took you, yet were sad you'd lost the fight We mourned greatly in our sorrow and we cried for most the night The next three days we bonded, just my Dani Dawn and I We talked about most everything, and took more time to cry On Saturday, we parted ways, to get on our life Carrying our memories of her mother and my wife. II - Tamera An old friend, came to visit to help me through those early days We had helped her also when her mother passed away She stayed with me, almost a week, and she really helped a lot Lately when I try to reach her, try to find her, I cannot I am so very grateful for the good she did for me Hopefully, I soon will find her; what will be for her will be III – Searching for the Church To find the strength within me, that would help me in my lurch I prayed to God, he said to me, “You should get yourself to church. Every Sunday to a different one, until we find the one for you Then settle there, and feel my love, that is something you should do” I began, on the next Sunday, to do as I was told Went to fifteen different churches, the effort was not getting old I felt my God within them, He, in all of them was seen Then we found the one for me, the right one, sweet sixteen It had taken four months, but by following the Lord I had found the place to worship. He and I of one accord I am still attending, the first day of every week If that had not happened, would be continuing to seek IV – Progression It seems as though I have progressed to the middle of the year Many things I've left behind, that should not disappear Family and friends were there for me, hands on my shoulders, by my side Knowing that they cared for me, helped me continue with the ride This is the first installment of how my first year's journey went Most of the times I did not go, by the good Lord, I was sent