Broken for Joy

Five years ago,
I was broken on this day.
You left the Earth for heaven,
While the rest of us remained.

Five years ago today,
I met grief for the first time;
Knowing it would be many years before I could hear you laugh or see you smile. 

Five years ago,
the God of all comfort came down to cradle me.
In my brokenness, in my heartache,
the Father of Peace poured love on me.

One year later,
I saw you in a dream.
You told me: "No one ever really dies."
In that moment, true peace washed over me.

Five years long,
I've held you in my heart,
and I will continue all my life long.

Five years later, 
I choose true joy.
For on this day, 
the Lord asks me to be free for more.

I hold you in my heart, 
each and every day.
In this new year, 
I'm choosing to remember you joyfully instead.

I'm chasing a big adventure,
and I know that you'd be proud.
Your death taught me to live,
and never to seek to blend with the crowd.
Because of His grace,
I'm free to walk in love.

I carry your memory with me.
For five years, and many more.