Between my father’s passing
and the spreading of his ashes,
my mother whispered to her husband,
“I miss you.”
I hear in her words how much he loved her
and she, him.  

I think about my father 
with us now
as promised in scripture.
In God, we live and move and have our being,
nothing separates us,
we are in Christ.
Christ is with us
here
now

and so is my dad–
not as he was,
limited by experiences,
wounded by his past,
untethered, 
unfree,
but as he is now
at home in his true essence
enveloped in love
unfettered,
full of joy, peace and love.

This father, I have only glimpsed 
from time to time
This father I do not know.
“You weren’t there,”
I say.

In reply, I hear,
“I’m here now.”

And I feel myself
a little more tethered
a little more free.

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
–Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

Credits and References:
“Drop” by rjp. Used with permission.
Here Now by Esther Hizsa, 2024
“Calmness” by Maria Eklind. Used with permission.

© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2024.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2024.  http://www.estherhizsa.com