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193
Oh, where is my beloved?
I have sought him near and far:
But alas, he does not answer
The door will not unbar,
And the days seem all so lonely
And the nights without a Slar.
But I know the Great all Father
Who called for him to come
Will think of me grieved.
Within our broken home
And will give me strength and courage
For the years that are (0 come
So I wi 11 not grieve or worry
But bravely pass along
For grief will give me weakness
But work will make me strong
And will brighten up the pathway
That guides my steps along.
And when my work is ended
And I stand inside the door
And the Master leads me to him
And I see his face one more
Oh, the joy, my beloved
For the wailing rime is o'er. l
The lady declared that she knew the piece by heart; she found it soon after her
husband's death, and placed it near his picture "because this was exactly how she felt," and
she liked to read if. I asked whether this had helped her to cope, but found thai it was faith
as well as dUly which made her steadily achieve grief work:
RB: I had to cope. I had too much to do.... My faith helped me. I had to
go to work. He died and I was left with two or three thousands.
oil 10 the wholesalers, and two or three more lowed. I went right
to work, and sold everything, and by Christmas, I didn't owe one
person a cent. I went to Steers in Lewisport. He was our principal
man, to give us the freight, and he said:"Mrs. B., I'm going to tell you
the truth. When R. died, I said to my friend here: "that's one account
that will never be paid." "And, I suppose, Mr. c., right now, yOll owe
me three or four doIIars:'2
Even Ihough she affimled that "there's not much religion here now," a. "youngsters pass
along the church without even going in," I found some religious practices kept in Tilting
but gone from my own orth·European Catholic tradition. The family rosary was still said
daily, weekday masses were well-attended, and of personal experience. I found that there
1[ thank Illy informant for kindly copying the poem for mc.
2MUNFLA 87-159/CI0636; sec House, But 76 for another testimony on thc reliancc on faith
10 overcome grief in tragedy.