One Was Taken, One Was left
Advent 1; Matthew 24:36-44
In the last desperate weeks
of my father’s life,
my mother had a dream:
a vision of Jesus
who waited for Dad with open arms.
I tearfully imagined
the carpenter and the wood turner
sharing their love of creating,
so that Dad would feel at home there,
having always had too many questions
to feel at home in churches.
Soon after, one was taken, one was left.
Mum’s grief devastated her world
like a solitary apocalypse,
and yet it also revealed
love at the heart of everything,
love in despair and hope.
Love wounded her with loss,
emptying out her home and days,
but love also welcomed Dad:
vision and signs assured us
he was free with no need to question,
at one with the surf and stars,
released from all his suffering,
belonging in life beyond death.
The depth of his love drew him in
to relationship stronger than faith.
Mum’s faith, though tested, grew
in a form she felt Dad would share.
She embraced Living the Questions
in a group with her trusted minister,
and her love for Jesus carried her
beyond the old limits and dogmas
into a wondrous mystery
that linked her to all she loved.
Barbara Messner 27/11/2025
Barb, poet priest 
Dear Barb,
I was very moved by your poetry which resonated deeply with my experience of my father’s death. It would be a beautiful meditation for All Souls.
I wouldn’t mind a prayer or two. I have taken a scary step and have been accepted into the Living Well Centre Spiritual Direction training program. It is a 4 year program and will involve a few trips to Melbourne each year.
Blessings of Grace and Peace,
Jeannie
Jeannie Minnis tssf SA Regional Minister Ph. 0427 478 069 K “If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the chalice.” ~ Saint John Chrysostom
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Thank you for sharing such a personal story and, like Jeannie, it reminds me so much of my mother’s journey after my father’s death, though the terrible grief was mostly in his last months. He had been a liberator of Dachau and in his dementia he returned to those sights whenever he slept and would desperately try to stay awake. Thank you for your sharing and beginning my journey on our Thanksgiving holiday — they both are missed from our table.
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