Promises Kept

Promises Kept

She kept her treasures in a heart shaped box,
Rings and things she saved for a rainy day.
She counted the chimes on her ticking clocks,
As the remnants of her life slipped away.

By the window, she watched blue jays cavort
Just like her husband in his final years.
Silver memories compounded the hurt,
Pushing down pain in rivulets of tears.

As gold sun beckons through faded curtains,
She longs to dance in the sand and sea foam.
She yearns for his touch, so soft and certain.
Tired and lonely, she just wants to go home.

Her journey complete, all promises kept…
While her children stood by her grave and wept.

Colleen Keller Breuning @ 2026
May 13, 2026

Happy Saturday! I wrote this on the plane ride down to Florida to visit the grandkids. We’ve been so busy playing with Posie, Hatcher and Holland that I haven’t had a minute to post this. I’m getting this blog done in batches, between beach outings and after pizza dinner….

This poem is obviously about the life of a lonely widow. Though it is not specifically about my Mom’s state of mind, I do often think about how lonely she must feel without Dad for the past 23 years. His early passing from cancer at age 68 was a sucker punch to all of us, and we miss him every single day. At times, my mind goes into uncharted terrority of what it would be like – it’s sad and scary at the same time. Dan is so precious to me, and our daily life together fills me with so much happiness, laughter and gratitude that I simply cannot imagine not having him by my side. He’s truly my soulmate.

One memory of my mother growing up was when she would get mad at Dad or us kids, she would either start “slam-banging around” on the cabinets or pots and pans without saying a word. Then if we got loud or started doing the same, she’d say “Stop that SLAM BANGING around!” When she got REALLLY mad, she would exclaim, “Hell’s Bells!” I do remember her saying that an awful lot when we were kids. In her defense, she had five rambunctious, energetic kids to contend with…and I would have been saying a hell of a lot worse LOL! My Mom will be turning 89 in July, and is still sharp as a tack, remembering details from the past that I can’t recall. She burns through a plethora of Sudoku and Word game books at a rapid pace, and we’re constantly getting her new ones from Dollar Tree so she stays mentally active. It amazes me. I am grateful to still have her in my life. We have Sunday phone calls when I’m not up to visit on the weekend, and she has always been supportive of all five of her children through the ups and downs of our lives.

I hope all the Moms had a nice Mother’s Day. I was able to FaceTime with both Vince and Katie last weekend on Mother’s Day, and this past week and next week will be filled with beautiful memories with both of them and their families that I treasure in my own heart. Xoxo

Love,
Colleen

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 46.17 – Heart Shaped Box
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a funny saying from your mother, or a famous mother’s quote (“Stop that slam banging around” and “Hell’s Bell’s)
Easy Bonus: Include a favorite photograph in your blog (I included 3 from my Mom & Dad’s early days)