Please use this blog to help us remember Joshua Lee Anderson, who made the tragic and fatal decision to take his life on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. Please post any memories or thoughts you may have in the comments.


Saturday, December 18, 2010

21 Months Later - 12/18/2010

Today is December 18th, twenty-one months after Josh's passing and one week until Christmas. Since we are traveling for the holidays, there is no tree. Only two wreaths on the door and a single candle in Josh's bedroom window - in memory of his life.

I have, however, decorated Josh's grave site with a wreath and his tree with ornaments and red bows.








I want to close this post with a poem I found which is about how a grieving person comes to choose life.

The Thing Is by Ellen Bass

The thing is.....

to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you've held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.

When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?

Then you take life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.

God Bless

2 comments:

Roxanne said...

Thank you Sue for posting these pictures. As I told you over the phone, as the seasons change I always wonder what the park looks like. You did a wonderful job on the tree and the wreath is beautiful. I could also see that other's have places wreaths on their sites also. It just shows how much love is there for those who have gone on. That is the really wonderful thing about that park...so much love for those who's earthly bodies rest there.

We miss Josh so much! Tears filled Makhaila's and my eyes as we talked about him the other day.

Bryce just had his birthday on the 10th and that made us miss Josh sooo much.

Thank you for continuing to post ...it helps me so much and you would be amazed of how many people you are helping.

Just the other day I shared this site with a Mother who lost her son the same month as Josh and who was the same age. She was thrilled to know there was a place to go and read about what another Mother is going through. Thank you for touching so many lives!

I love you so much! Roxanne

Katie said...

Thank you for sharing that poem. I admire so much the courage and bravery it takes to go on after such a tragic and devastating loss. I shared the poem with a friend of mine who recently lost her baby daughter. Sending you and your family so much love.