Happily, Even After

 Happily, EVEN after

Most every little girl wants her “happily ever after”,
A Cinderella moment filled with tearful laughter,
Her fairy tale prince charming sweeping her off her feet,
A match made in heaven and her life is complete,
The magical wedding of her dreams followed by a picket fence of white,
Then the pitter-patter of little babies where it once was quiet,
She dreamed of this moment and how she would feel,
She pinched herself because it all seemed surreal,
Three boys she birthed, and they raised them with care,
Time flew by, and soon their nest would be bare,
Just as the last boy was moving away,
The news came that sent shock waves in an unpalatable way,
Her husband of thirty-three years had a terminal illness,
“An uncurable cancerous brain tumor” rang out in the stillness,
In a blink of an eye the life they had known,
Was now a life of her living alone,
What happened to her “happily ever after”?
The life she had imagined and eagerly sought-after?
Her “happily ever after” had suddenly changed,
Her “happily ever after” had been rearranged!
Was she going to let the situation crush her now?
No. She would get through it all somehow.
“Happily, even after” became her new mantra,
Finding happiness after loss is something extra,
While still honoring the memories, she chose to seek contentment,
What was the point in harboring resentment?
Choosing to be happy again is a place to start,
It warms the soul and heals the heart.

Tammy Harvey
8/26/2022