Beacon (For Eileen)

By Susan Mardele

There is a woman with a soft warm voice…
and a slight New Jersey accent.

We met by chance…if you believe in chance.

For nearly 20 years, she has been there
guiding, supporting, loving.

You could call her a second mother,
raising me up again as the woman I was meant to be.

This journey we’ve been on together
has been rich in tears and laughter.

It has bolstered my account of trust and
opened my heart to love.

It has taken me safely to places I never thought I’d go.

Across the gray seas of despair,
through the blistering deserts of anger.

To the cool gardens of peace,
and the mountain top of perspective and joy.

This woman has given me a gift
freely, generously, lovingly.

It is a gift I cannot repay.
I can only accept it as graciously as it was given.

The only way to repay is to pay it forward.

To share the gift
of unconditional love and support with another.

To be the soft warm voice
that is a beacon of hope…

To a fellow traveler
finding her way home.