Dear haiku friends,
As many of you know, tomorrow, October 11th, is the one-year anniversary of Bill’s death. It does not seem possible that it’s been a year already. And these past several weeks, as I’ve been remembering last summer and early fall, I’ve wanted to tell you that your many cards and notes during the two months of Bill’s illness helped keep us going. I shared every one of them with him in his hospital bed, and he was deeply moved by your outpouring of love and prayer.
And though I was dealing with so much at the time (including the weeks and months following Bill’s death when I was organizing his papers for Columbia, preparing to move, and moving) that I was not able to personally answer many of your written condolence notes, I was then, and continue to be, supported and comforted by the e-mail messages, notes, cards, and even little gifts that lovingly flowed my way in those first weeks. (I’ve kept them all.)
Those of you with whom I shared HNA Ottawa observed that by early August, I had come a good distance in my healing journey. It was wonderful to be there among you all! And I was doubly blessed by so many of you honoring Bill--sharing what knowing him had meant to you. Since Ottawa, I’ve enjoyed continuing a number of our renewed friendships via e-mail.
And though I feel somewhat subdued this weekend, I am simultaneously looking forward to renewing more haiku friendships (and finding some new ones) at the Seabeck Haiku Getaway next weekend. It is a rich community we share.
I have written a number of longer poems and haibun over the past months, working my way through grief, and half of them are already in print. If you’d like to keep up with what I’m doing, I invite you to visit my new blog at http://penhart.wordpress.com. I’ve been using it mostly for professional news, but the personal does sneak in now and then. (You can scroll down for my detailed HNA post :)).
Again, a bow of thanks to my haiku family for their ongoing love and support. May you and those dear to you have a healthy and happy autumn and winter.
Love,
Penny
penhart@2hweb.net
www.2hweb.net/penhart
http://www.shenaniganbooks.com/beastiebook.html
dear penny,
ReplyDeleteyou are still in my thoughts
& prayers. love, pamela
for his ashes
blue moonlight
on the river
Pamela A. Babusci 2008
In Memory: William J. Higginson
Bill was special, but so are you Penny!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.haigaonline.com/issue9-2/editorschoice/slides/10.html
A copy of Haiku World is never more than a few feet away.
Mike
Bill's day--
ReplyDeletetoday's rain
stays in the clouds
the years flow fast
ReplyDeletebut our backed up memories
hold strong
Good to hear from you Penny
Although I can't ever be with you at the conventions and meetings, I have been with you through all you have endured as I too lost my soul mate and know only too well the depths of what that loss cost you. Seeing you healing so well, heals me too. It will be ten years for me this Nov.22nd... Life is different, life is strange without that love.
ReplyDeleteAs part of my renga residency for 1000 verses someone asked me what season was "cats in love".
ReplyDeleteWith a flourish I pulled out of the bag my copy of Haiku World, and said "early Spring!".
I didn't know then, but it was a year today that Bill passed away.
I really felt he was with me, it was just a special moment.
thanks Bill, for everything, and all my best to you Penny,
Alan
With Words