A Poem by Joy Whitman

Comes the Dawn

After awhile you learn the subtle difference

between holding a hand and sharing a life

and you learn that love doesn't mean possession

and company doesn' 't mean security

and loneliness is universal

And you learn that kisses aren't contracts

and presents aren't promises

and you begin to accept your defeats

with your head up and your eyes open

with the grace of a woman

not the grief of a child

And you learn to build your hope on today

Mom and her only brother, Robert Vatcher, a talented artist who was killed flying for the Royal Canadien Air Force on June 29, 1944 She always kept his memory alive

as the future has a way of falling apart in mid-flight

because tomorrow's ground can be too uncertain for plans

yet each step taken in a new direction

creates a path toward the promise of a brighter dawn.

And you learn that even sunshine burns

if you get too much

so you plant your own garden

and nourish your own soul

instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers

and you learn that love, true love

always has joys and sorrows

seems ever present, yet is never quite the same

becoming more than love and less than love

so difficult to define

and you learn that through it all

you really can endure

that you really are strong

that you do have value

and you learn and grow

with every goodbye

you learn

Joy Whitman

This poem was from a newpaper clipping found among Mom's imporant papers which we think she wanted us to find and share