My dear sister Christine passed in August of 2020. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her. Her daughter, Reta, wrote this poem that perfectly and eloquently describes the graciousness of her mom. 

Christine, an artistic genius, loved whole-heartedly from an endless well of sensitivity. She was an incredible encourager yet could also dish it out with the best of them! She drove me crazy and adored me like crazy! I love you dear sister!

Born Broken, by RB Graham

Have you ever loved a heart

that was born

broken?

You would know

if you had; you see,

that beautiful heart

would be one

that lived an entire life

with innocence, with love,

expecting the best of others

without fail.

That heart would see the truth

of a person, see the darkness,

the fear, and

would hurt more

because of it, but this would

never stop that heart

from loving.

That heart would be ever-giving,

holding space with

compassion and loving kindness,

handing out second and

third and

fiftieth chances,

like a plate of sweets to hungry souls.

That heart would stay open 

as others gobbled it up,

and then, with its final beat,

that heart

would forgive,

so that all the people who

knew that heart, even for

a moment, a week,

or a year, would say

the same thing, over and over –

She loved me

when no one else did.

She was there for me, always

She never said, “I’m too busy”

She held me and made

me believe I was strong

She made me believe

I could do anything.

To whom could you sing an ode?