Monday 1 April 2013

Letting go

“To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;

and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go”

Mary Oliver



13 comments:

  1. Giving them roots is the easy part - the wings are a little more difficult.
    Congratulations on your son's marriage and the growth of your family.

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    1. I could not agree more, Pondside. It has been an amazing and very emotional weekend. Hope to post some pictures soon, if they are happy for me to do so.

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  2. Best wishes to your son and his bride and to you too, Marianne - you've got it right.

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  3. Thank you so much, Molly. What a weekend!

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  4. What a handsome son you have and now you have a beautiful daughter-in-law also. Congratulations to the happy couple.

    I loved your poem, Marianne.

    Letting go is a gift we give them and to ourselves. Like a gift, it brings great joy knowing you have raised a child well and now they will continue the circle of life.

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    1. I think so and thank you for the congratulations.

      I love this poem and it is what is in my head at the moment. It is very poignant though and this is a very emotional time. I thought raising my boys was tough at the time but in many ways the letting go is harder, but necessary.

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  5. The poem expresses some wise, but poignant thoughts. A beautiful post, dear blog friend. Congratulations to the happy couple.

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    1. It just turned out to be what I wanted to say at the moment, Linda. Feelings are complex and joy is often tinged with sadness. Thank you for the kind words and the congratulations.

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  6. What a beautiful poem – so simple and so deep. I’m copying it and will let you know why. Congratulations to the happy couple.

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    1. It is beautiful, but sad too I think. Thanks for the kind wishes and I do wonder why you are copying it? For me it covers all manner of love and letting go - whether it is your children as they move on through life, your parents when they die or lovers who were once a part of your life.

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  7. Long may the happiness last and when the time for change comes, may passionate love turn into the kind of liking which lasts a lifetime.

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    1. They are very happy and I think have every hope of a long and happy marriage. I guess this is more about my struggles to let go, something I don't always find easy.

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  8. I only recently discovered Mary Oliver - she's American I think - and wrote some extraordinarily beautiful poetry. Some of her lines are stunning.

    Despite being a happy occasion, my son's wedding was also very tough for me; not only in the sense of letting go of my child as he makes his way through life now with his new wife and I take a step back, as is only right and the way of life, but also because, for the first time, I had to experience seeing for myself the life my family have with their father and his second wife, who was the other woman in my marriage. So, after the wedding, I had to come to terms with my own sadness and this poem expressed it for me.

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