For Week 25, I’m sharing poems I’ve written over the past few days. 🙏
Everyone navigates grief differently — for me, it leads me to the pen 🖊️ (or, in this day and age, whichever smart device helps bring the words to life 😅).
Sometimes, writing becomes the way we process, reflect, and give voice to what the heart is carrying.
But first here’s a prayer based on Psalms 34.
Salamo 34.8
A mamia toho, bena ba diba, Iehova na namo;
ia e abidadama heniamu tauna danu e moalemu.
A Room Full of Hope 🙏
It was just another room—
A place to sleep, to rest,
A space we often questioned,
Wondering why it remained untouched.
Little did we know
It was a safe haven,
Kept open and waiting
For a sibling battling
the storms of mental illness.
There were eight of us,
Yet only four bedrooms in the house.
Dad seemed to know
Not all of us would stay forever.
So seven of us rotated
Through three shared rooms,
Coming and going as life unfolded.
But the fourth room remained.
The room we often complained about,
The one we questioned Mum and Dad for keeping,
Was never empty at all.
It was our sibling’s room.
A refuge.
A safe space.
A place where he knew he belonged,
No matter how difficult life became.
Through the years,
Through the struggles,
Through the storms that raged within his mind,
That room remained his.
Even after Mum and Dad had passed on,
The room remained open for him and his child,
A constant reminder
That he was loved, accepted, and welcome.
At the time,
Many of us did not fully understand.
We saw a room.
Our parents, especially, mum saw a person in need.
Long before mental health was openly discussed,
Long before we understood the seriousness
Of this silent and relentless illness,
They knew exactly what our sibling needed most.
Not judgement.
Not pressure.
Not rejection.
Just a place to belong.
Looking back now,
I realise one of the greatest gifts
We can offer those fighting the silent battles of the mind
Is simply to be a safe space.
To provide a safe space.
To listen, not judge.
To be a light
In the darkness that can overwhelm their thoughts.
Mum had no formal training.
She was not a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Yet through her faith,
Her compassion,
Her calling as a pastor’s wife,
And above all, her heart as a mother,
She understood something many of us did not.
Love creates space.
Grace keeps the door open.
Mercy welcomes people home again and again.
It was never just a room.
It became a symbol—
Of acceptance and belonging,
Of love and grace,
Of mercy and hope.
A room that quietly declared:
“You are welcome here.”
“You belong here.”
“There is still hope.”
A hope that comes from above,
Rooted in the unfailing love
And abundant grace
Of a merciful God.
What we once saw as just another room
Is now one of our parents’ especially mum’s greatest lesson—
A Room Full of Hope, A Safe Space 🙏❤️~ idauhahine, June 2026 ~
The 1st poem is dedicated to the memory of our late parents, especially our mum, and their beloved son who suffered from mental issues. Mum never gave up on him, her tender love and care saw him live a long and full life to 64 and a bit years old. Our brother witnessed his son’s wedding, spent a few good years with his two grandsons before he passed away earlier this year. He would have turned 65 in August 2026. May their souls RIP ❤️🙏
Too Soon, but how soon is Too Soon?
We say it so casually,
Without stopping to think…
“Too soon.”
But how soon
Is truly too soon?
Is it 29?
Is it 65?
Is it 1?
Or is it never having the chance
To be born at all?
So many questions,
Left unanswered…
Questions that, perhaps,
Will remain that way.
And it brings me back
To the words of Proverbs 16:9:
A man’s heart plans his way,
but the Lord directs his steps.
Only God knows.
Only He sees the beginning,
The middle,
And the end.
He orders every path,
Every moment,
Every breath.
When the time comes,
It is time —
Not according to our plans,
Not according to what we understand,
But according to His perfect will.
As human beings,
We are easily distracted,
Often deceived by the enemy’s whispers —
One of his greatest lies
Is to make us question
God’s divine timing.
Forgive us, Lord,
For the moments we fail to trust
Your faithfulness.
Forgive us
For doubting Your mercy,
When You have always been
Faithful through it all.
Thank You for Your redeeming grace
Through Jesus Christ,
And for the fellowship
Of Your Holy Spirit.
Because too soon
Is never too soon
In the hands of God.
A thousand years
Are like a single day,
And a single day
Can hold the weight of eternity.
We live.
We die.
And in Christ,
We live again.
All according to the holy plans
Of a God who knows,
A God who loves,
A God who remains faithful.~ idauhahine ~ June 2026
In loving memory of our son, brother, cousin, nephew, uncle, grandson and in-law, Vavia S Vavia, taken from us so tragically on 7th June 2026 🕊 RIP Vavi ❤️
Idau Hahine 