Pirouetting
Skating on the ice
Doing pirouettes
Upon the frozen
Mirror in my heart
The sadness and the grief
Are buried still within
Yet ice inside in my heart
Now glistens in the sun
Memories arise
While dancing in the light
The pain begins to yield
Hope rises from within
Spinning on the ice
That shimmers in the sun
Joyous pirouetting
Hope dances in my soul
Helen Fernald
Dear Mom, Soon Fred and I will be heading to Rochester, NY, for a celebration of Aunt Helen’s life. My cousin asked me to offer a prayer during the interment and this is what came to me. Dear Lord, Thank you for the blessing of Peter and Helen Rutan in our lives. They taught us…
August 18, 2023 Dear Mom, Today would have been your 107th birthday! Fred, Sara and I flew annually to Cleveland to celebrate your birthday. By January of 1992, we already had our plane tickets to travel to Ohio in mid August. Nothing could stop us! However, that year you had different plans. One month earlier,…
August, 2026 Dear Mom, I can hardly believe that I got the news about Charlie’s death six years ago. It does not seem possible. I will never forget that last weekend in August. Charlie and I always enjoyed an hour long conversation on Saturday nights. We talked about family and memories and what we were…
Dear Mom, When you died unexpectedly in 1992, I was heartbroken, not even sure I could continue. You were my rock, my strength when I was afraid; you offered hope in dark moments. I wasn’t ready for you to leave. Suddenly I was an orphan, alone in a frightening world. I needed you, but you…
Dear Mom, I try to stay positive like you. My heart is filled with gratitude for all of the gifts and opportunities in my life. Yet today is a gray, drizzly, cold November day and I feel sad. My stomach hurts and I know that it is filled with all of the feelings that I…
September 2025 Dear Mom, Sara got married on September 6. I know you were there to celebrate with us. You adored your granddaughter and would never have missed this event. The wedding was a beautiful affair, rather like our own wedding in 1978 in its small size and simplicity. Sara looked like a fairy princess…
