My grandfather, Sam Bryant, died this past September. At his funeral I told a story about him. I explained to the people who had gathered to celebrate Grandpa’s life that he had cared about his grandkids. We weren’t annoyances to be ignored. Rather, he invited us into his workshop to “help” him, not that I was ever very helpful. He once took apart a lawn mower engine to show me how it worked.
Another time he guided me as I build too houses for our cats to live in outside. He helped me draw my diagram and then helped me purchase the wood, hardware, and paint. He gave me guidance as I built the things, and I was successful.
Grandpa was a brilliant man who could have been an astrophysicist. He used to sit around with my brother and I discussing philosophy and physics. Grandpa was a good man who took care of his family and friends. His death certainly hurt, but through it God has been alive. For God does not ordain death and suffering, but he enters it to redeem it.
The following is a poem I wrote over the course of the month after he died. It took me a while to resolve it, but I finally did. I forgot about this poem until today when I was flipping through my journal from the last year. Anyhow, here you go:
Today Death reigns
in our hearts
in our souls
in our bodies
killing all
hope
joy
stealing all
love
mercy
Today we long for the Dawn
a dawn not seen
a dawn not known
to dispel night
and force on us light
as if longing will bring it
as if believing will enact it
Today we impose meaning on hurt
on suffering
on pain
God will redeem
God will make new
as if our imposition made it true
* * *
Life begins outside of us
from the trees
dancing leaves
floating in the wind
lifting the breath of our voices
billowing our hair behind us
sung from our lips
stories
in our minds
and upon our hearts
hands grab each other
and together we walk
G. C. Jeffers 
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