I'll Be Seeing You

Reminders of our loved ones are all around us. After her husband died, author Marta Felber recalls how she felt when she saw a man who looked like Joe. Familiar places and activities also reminded her of Joe.

What reminds you of your loved ones who have died? How do you remember your loved ones?
Share your story below.

I’ll Be Seeing You
But I Know You Are Not There
By Marta Felber

The man coming toward me on the street looked like Joe. I stood staring, my breath coming in little gasps. He was tall and thin. He even walked like Joe. He passed me at the corner. It certainly was not my husband. The tears came. What I wouldn’t give to see Joe walking toward me again!

Joe, I remember you:

Coming up the steps to the deck with an armload of firewood.

Bending over the saw in your workshop.

Sitting in your chair, hands held together, fingertips touching, thinking.

Pouring batter on the griddle and flipping the pancakes.

Driving the tractor through the woods on the trails you made.

Sitting on the deck at sunset, looking out over the valley.

Driving the car, seat back as far as it would go.

Reading the most recent news magazines in bed.

Pretending you were still asleep when it was time to get up.

Putting papers in the neatly organized files in your office.

Sitting across from me at the table, reaching for my hands to hold during grace.

Cutting the loaf of break in our favorite restaurant.

Sitting next to me in church at the end of “our” pew.

Walking the streets of the cities we visited, map in hand.

Watching the squirrel raid the bird feeder, then trying to outsmart him one more time.

What reminds you of your loved ones who have died? How do you remember your loved ones? Share your story below.
~~~
Related articles:
• The Value of Reminiscing
• Emotional Nooks and Crannies
• Creating Inner Space through Prayer or Meditation

Also by Marta Felber:
• Loneliness Is To Be Felt
• I Need a Hug
• My Journal Is My Friend
• How to Make It Through the Night

Marta Felber, author of Grief Expressed When a Mate Dies and Finding Your Way After Your Spouse Dies, has held many counseling and consulting positions in the U.S. and abroad, including serving for 10 years as director and head counselor at a center for expatriates in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Image credit: emuman/StockXchng

Tagged: grief expressed, living with loss, losing a partner, losing a spouse, marta felber, when a mate dies

3 Comments

Comment by Juli Green on June 24, 2009 at 3:16pm: When I read the subtitle- I had a quick flashback to the night my father died. When I was getting ready to leave that night, (10:20pm) he always said "Be careful, I love you, I'll see you later" That night 3/27/05 - my father said "be careful, I love you, and I'LL BE SEEING YOU". I went home that night, not thinking anything of it, and he passed away at 12:20am..... He knew that was the night..... so, seeing that subtitle reminded me of my father... I miss him VERY much :-( And with Father's Day just passing, I'm thinking of him more and more.

Comment by terri on October 24, 2009 at 5:20pm: i lost my father in 2007 and he was my best friend,i miss him everyday and i think of him all the time.i hope that one day i will see him again,but sometimes sense his passing i have had dreams about him.when i wake its like my heart begins to hurt all over again.

Comment by Teri on November 21, 2009 at 11:26pm: My husband left me on April 16th, 2009, and everything makes me think of him. When we go to restaraunts he liked, when I smell his cologne in the air in a public place, when he would grab my hand and pull me to him when we were in public, when he would lay his head on my stomache and we would talk while I stroked his hair .. I just can't get through this ..

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