Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, That we still are.
from a poem “Death is Nothing at All” by Henry Scott Holland, an english clergyman, written in 1910
Anyone staying here knew my husband Bill. He was as much a part of this place as Teddy or me. Not an hour goes by that we don’t notice one of Bill’s clever, “eco-nomical” touches to this property. He fixed the dining room chairs, and any other emergency problem that came up. Mostly he was the farm half of the operation. He milked the cows, mowed the fields of grass, put up and took down fences, took care of the chickens. Of the hundreds of things he did around here, he was most noted for his humor. He always had a joke and loved to talk, though some of us caught on to his humor quicker than others.
Its been a month now since Bill left us on the afternoon of May 21st, after a long battle with an autoimmune disease. Thank you so much for the memories. We have heard from so many of you and your kind messages have meant so much to us. We are keeping Thyme in the Country open for business as usual. The coming and going of new and familiar faces and personalities will help us get thru this time of sadness.
Laugh as we always laughed,
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect, without trace of shadow upon it.
I am so sorry to hear this .
I know you two where great partners and friends and loved the B&B very much .
I know you miss him terribly .
Thoughts and prayers
Well done Mary the poetry & pictures are a wonderful tribute to Bill! Barbara checked the website & shared your post with me. So glad you are hanging in there as we know this had to have been a tough month. We have been thinking about you. We are not sure when we will be heading north again, but you will know when we make our plans. My knee is progressing very well by the way. .Regards to all, & XXX’s & OOO’s.
Barbara & Rick Schwartz
Dearest Mary, So sad to hear about Bill’s death. Oh dear he was such a kind, witty person! So sorry for your loss., our sincere condolences. Bruce and I are living in Livingston for 2 years now to help with Seth and his family. We still have our home on LI but live up here 90% of the time. I would love to see you sometime soon. If you ever have an ironing session I’d love to be part of it. Love and hugs to you and yours, Barbara and Bruce
Dear Mary, it was so nice to see you at the bookstore and realize we had both discovered the treasure of “Braiding Sweetgrass.”
I’m sorry to learn of your husband’s death. I’m especially moved by the last two lines above “…my name…ever the household word…”
warm regards,
Wendy