Journey Writers Inc.

"FADED" by Barbara Stephens

I SAT AT HIS HOSPITAL BED

AND TOOK HIS FRAIL HAND IN MINE

WILLING THE STRENGTH HE ONCE HAD

THE POWER HE ONCE ENDURED

TO BRING BACK THE SUPERHERO

HE ONCE WAS

AS I WATCHED,

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE,

WITH EACH BREATH HE TOOK,

HE BEGAN HIS DECENT

OF SLOWLY SLIPPING AWAY FROM ME

HIS JOURNEY OF LIFE WAS FADING AWAY

WHILE HOLDING HIS HAND

MY THOUGHTS WENT BACK TO THE 50 YEARS

WE SHARED AS TWO CAREFREE LOVERS

WHO LIVED A HAPPY AND JOYOUS ADVENTURE

MEMORIES OF WHEN

HE WOULD DRAW ME CLOSER TO HIM

AS HE WRAPPED HIS STRONG

YET GENTLE HANDS AROUND MY WAIST

AND WHISPER ENDURING WORDS OF LOVE

IN MY EAR

WE MADE A PROMISE THAT WE WOULD NOT

ALLOW THE LOVE WE SHARE

TO FADE FROM OUR HEARTS

BUT AS I SIT HERE BY HIS SIDE

AND WATCH HIM SLOWLY SLIP AWAY

MY HEART IS FILLED WITH SO MUCH PAIN AND SADNESS

SO I PRAY TO GOD

“PLEASE LET MY LOVE SLEEP IN PEACE

AND AWAKE IN JOY

AS YOU WELCOME HIM HOME

AND NEVER LET OUR MEMORIES OF JOY AND HAPPINESS

FADE”

journey writer's grants and gifts

2022

$500 grant from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund in support of publishing an anthology of our members' work

$250 grant from Stanley Black & Decker to support "Journey Writers Tell the Whole Story: Queer Black History - I Put a Spell on You"

$5100 grant from Connecticut Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities

$7500 Small Agency Grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

Connecticut Humanities Press Release

2021

$2000 grant from the Betty Knox Foundation to support “Word of the Month” on WQTQ-FM

$1000 grant from the Hartford Pride Committee to support three online programs for Hartford Pride Month

$100 gift from Kamora’s Cultural Corner to support three (3) online programs for Hartford Pride Month

2019

$500 gift from New England Donor services to support the “I Love to Tell the Story” presentation

Ongoing

Thanks to the Center for Leadership & Justice, Hartford and to the Free Center, Hartford for allowing Journey Writers, Inc. to use their facilities.

Made possible by a grant from the Betty Knox Foundation

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