If you could write a story,
What would it be?
Adventure? romance?
maybe comedy…
How about a true story?
The kind that inspires…
Mémoires… a bio…
Events which transpired -
A story of love…
Commitment and family,
Introspective, detailed
And brimming with quality…
With direction in place
The content ensues,
Outlining of concepts -
Vision… the views…
Of who and when,
Where and how,
The details we need…
The here and now!
A hero or maybe a heroine,
For that matter…
In this instance,
Our story opts for the latter.
She’s kind and affectionate.
Strong and determined.
Wise in her ways,
But willing to listen.
Loyal and humble,
But a looker for sure!
Generous, caring,
Motherly… mature!
Devout in her beliefs,
Faithful in her action,
Full trust in God -
With undying devotion.
Daughter and sibling,
Wife and mother…
Relationships aplenty,
Emphasis on together!
Integral to family,
Friends and community,
Mention her name
And you will see.
The reaction… the response…
The glow it triggers,
Revealing their regard
For this amazing figure.
The sacrifice and hardship…
Many have seen,
She navigated it all…
True signs of a queen.
A matriarch and leader,
But understanding of servitude,
Patience and virtue…
Those necessary values.
Molding from early
To become the woman we knew.
Never infallible,
But always searching for truth.
To gain knowledge and insight
To impart all she learnt,
Nurture and pay attention…
Acknowledge concern.
For her, life was simple,
But in a beautiful way.
God blesses us… all of us…
Then we’ve got our part to play.
She did this each day,
’Til her last earth-bound breaths.
But don’t you dare think
She didn’t succeed in her quest!
To believe and live
By The Father’s lasting Word.
That was her truth,
Not a rumour she heard.
Her family and friends,
Acquaintances and peers,
Loved and respected
This woman of no fear!
For God so loved her
And each one of us,
To receive salvation
In Him she’d trust…
To guide and protect,
His promise never faltered…
A decision she made,
Taken at her altar.
Her story is golden,
A testament to faith,
To give what she received -
That’s the direction in place!
So who’s this lady?
You maybe asking…
A president, a global leader…
She sounds amazing!
Well, she surely is…
Nothing short of that…
In spite of her stature…
Being about five feet flat.
Good things come in…
Well you know the rest.
She was all that and more,
To that we can attest.
She was a queen,
A stalwart, of the highest order
Raised on good values
From the women who taught her.
From humble beginnings
She rose to her crown.
God-given understanding
To raise those around…
Wisdom shared,
A plate of food as well,
This woman of God
With many a story to tell.
A life lived in full,
Grateful and thankful.
So much done for us
Simply undeniable…
Her strength and resilience,
Her code of living,
Her many qualities,
Her life of giving.
All these words
Make an ideal story,
The stuff of myth and legend
Wrapped and delivered to glory!
Over the top???
Some might say…
But if you knew her,
Even just for a day…
You’d see what I mean
What was on display,
Caring for her aunt or a baby,
She knew the way.
To love and care…
Provide what was needed.
She listened and obeyed,
Ensured that she heeded
The direction and plan
For her and her life,
To be mother, grandmother
And an incredible wife!
But unfortunately,
All stories have their finale.
Well… here on earth at least,
Written into His eternity.
So while she was with us,
We shared and laughed with her.
And now that she’s moved on
We remember and cherish her.
The lessons, the stories,
The whistling and singing…
The cou cou, the kisses
And even the lickings…
These are the fabric
Of the stories we share,
Her essence, our everything
What makes us care!
For Mrs. Russell or Violet,
Mum, Gran, Nana or Lady Vi,
The names were many,
Countless ties
To family, to friends,
Community or church…
Here walked a lady
Who gave us so much.
Never a second thought
To give her last.
Without hesitation
Embracing any task.
Her heart we all felt,
The love overflowed,
A touch of her warmth
To chase away the cold…
Of life and trials
And how hard it can be,
To be half the person she was
Sounds good to me.
So her earthly story has ended…
But memories are here to stay.
For us to reminisce
Of how she called us each day…
May the Lord watch over you…
Minister, shield and protect…
And grant you the strength and understanding
To cope… her words elect!
And just as she greeted us
Our days began as such.
Peaceful and calm…
Like she reached out and touched
Our minds and our hearts,
With words offering comfort…
No matter what we encountered
She helped make us that bit tougher.
So Lord we thank you
For Mum’s time with us.
She’s in a better place now…
In that we trust.
Life has many outcomes…
But death is almost certain…
But the journey, what we learn
Remains most important.
So tears may fall,
But will stop like the rain,
We mourn and then…
We outgrow the pain.
The times we shared
Outweigh all other things,
The moments we made
Remind us to keep “lookaring”
Around that corner,
And over that hill,
Mum Russell taught us -
Don’t cry over what’s spilled.
But rejoice, in the ways
We have been shown to recover…
And always remember…
To do for another!
As she has done
For all and sundry,
To heaven she went…
To her place in glory.
We love you Mum!
Michael ‘Errrthbound’ Russell © 2020
