Jo Susanne Benedict Calk

December 22, 1952
May 02, 2005

My Loss

With trembling hands
She reaches up above
Paying homage to our Lord
Abound with knowledge of his love.

Her time drawing near
She entered Eternal Life with
A secret smile on her face
A veil of serenity settled on her with grace.

With a small sigh
And one last final breath
Her soul rising high
Into God's verdantly covered garden.

Unsearchable was my pain
And I held it within
My loss of my loved one
Unquestionably was her win.

© Cheryl Eddings
May 27th, 2005

Jo passed away after being ill for a very long time on May 22, 2005. She was my little sister and to have her die before I did was something I had a hard time reconciling myself with. I found myself full of guilt, that I had outlived her, I didn't go see her as often as I should... oh so many things. I started finding peace with it all when I wrote this poem for her.

When Jo was just a small fry she decided she wanted Wyatt Earp for her daddy. There was a horse in a field just down the block from us. We lived in West Mansfield, Ohio at this time. She went to this field and went in it even though we had always been told not to as there was a stallion in that field. Well, that stallion bit her cheek nearly off. Mom rushed her to this old Doctor who lived real near and he did his magic on her. That cheek healed up and you could not tell that it had been bitten nearly off.She didn't have a scar or any nerve damage in her cheek.

Oh the fights we had a children. She and I fought about all kinds of things but we also were so very close. We got into trouble together a few times also. LOL One time when our grandparents were visiting us, Dad set the tent up in the backyard and Jo and I spent the night out there. We lived out in the country right outside of Irving, Texas at this time. I believe we were approximately 8 and 9 years of age. She and I decided we wanted to learn how to smoke so we took a couple of Mom's cigarettes and snuck them out to the tent. So anyway we lit up after all the lights in the house were off. Boy did we think we were big and smart. Then we started coughing and choking and one of us caught a pillow on fire. Oh boy.. we did some quick thinking so we thought and took the pillow out, dunked it in our brother's horse trough and hung it up on the clothes line to dry. The fire was out right? Wrong. We went back to the tent and went to sleep and the next thing we knew all chaos was going on outside. We looked out and that pillow was flaming really good. Dad took care of the pillow and our Grandmother took care of us. Oh man that was the worse thing ever.. having Grandma get after us. This is just one example of our times together.

I really miss Jo but I know she is in Heaven and no longer in pain. I know she is watching down and smiling as I wrote these memories down.

Be happy little sis. I will see you again some year. I love you.