What more could a girl want? Seriously?
I have had the opportunity to grow so much over the last couple of weeks. My grandmother died and The last thing she asked me to do was make her white satin slippers for her burial shoes. I later found out where this request came from. When my grandmother's mom (my great grandma, Elsie) passed away, my mom and grandma went to clean out a closet of hers and they found it filled to the brim with shoe boxes filled with foot outlines that had names and dates of people that had died and scraps of white satin. She had been secretly sewing white satin burial shoes for all of the people in the community that passed on and no one ever knew about it (except of course the loved ones). I felt proud to be apart of this by sewing my own granmother's slippers.
I have to say though, that it was quite difficult on an emotional level, but when I sewed the last stitch, I took a good look at my work and felt an amazing sense of peace and comfort. I had sat on my floor and bed for over 12 hours handstitching these slippers with no pattern and only my grandmother's foot outline to go by. It was all worth it in the end because not only was this act of service for her, but I can't even begin to explain what it did for me.
It just goes to show how much we can get out of the service that we do for others.
Her service was held on monday, where I spoke a few words, and later that week, it proved to be not quite enough venting. Let me explain. I walked into english class and our task was to write a sonnet and we were given a good majority of the period to do so. After a while Mr.Waterhouse asked if people would share there poems. I few got up and read them out loud. THeirs were on things such as plants, cool asians, and much more. There was about 5 minutes left of class and when he asked if anyone else would read theirs out loud no one responded. After a moment of silence (the same kind of silence in like fast and testimony meeting when no one is going up and you feel the urge to, but you're just too chicken) well, anyways, I stood up shaking like crazy I might add and took a deep breath (well sort of) and began. I didn't get through half of the first line before the tears began to fall. I made it through the whole poem and the room was silent. Then it erupted in applause and I could feel the love and support from my friends and fellow classmates. It was amazing. Not to mention it felt incredibly great to get it off of my chest.
White Satin Slippers
I sat with you those long and dreadful hours
While you lay there in agony and pain.
But noe your thin, lifeless, black-haired corpse does sour,
Deep down in the cold, hard ground you are lain.
I mourned your loss as I sewed stitch by stitch
The last and only thing you asked of me.
This you asked of me in such a low pitch,
I knew that soon you would no longer be.
I just wish I could go far back in time,
So I could hear your voice and know you more.
For one last cry goodbye before you died
And now He stands with a wide open door.
And now I express the love I have through
These white satin slippers made just for you.
