Joyce is Moving On Now, Getting Closer to the Light…by Robert M. Katzman
Joy’s Last Day
Joyce is gradually moving on now
To wherever we go when
That time comes for us
For her, it will be a sunny white Palace
Very, very clean because
Norwegian girls are like that
Filled with puppies and children
Because she has too much love within her
For just one of anything
There will be flowers everywhere
There will be horses running
Wherever she looks because
That woman loves horses
I hope when she needs me
She will squeeze my heart a little
To let me know she’s watching me
And caring, still caring
Women like Joyce
Are like stars falling to Earth
But just for a little while
To fill others with
Light and happiness
A moment with her in your life
Can be an eternity
If you will let it linger
She has that quality
As too many people already know
Because so many are calling me
She wanted to be at home
When her time came
She wanted me to be at her side
She wanted all four of her children with her
She wanted flowers everywhere
That is how it is today
And that’s how it will be
All of them came:
First Rachel
Then together:
Lisa, David and Sarah
Crowding around her
Kissing her, touching her
Listening to her breathe
I hope that beautiful woman
Somehow is aware
That as she leaves us,
She went on her way afloat
A waves of kisses,
A cocoon of kisses
To protect her,
Then release her
And allow her essence
To dissolve into the clouds
Into the air and into the wind
Joy may be moving on somewhere, but her Racine, Wisconsin Memorial Garden will grow for a century. She saw it from the outside yesterday, then she turned her lovely beaming face to me and smiled, telling me she loved it. That moment was a gift from her to me and I will keep it as I watch our Blazing Autumn Maple Tree grow and see our grandchildren sit under it and ask me questions about their Grandma and, what was she like:
I will tell them to look up
At a starry sky at night
Or find a meadow covered
With a uncountable wildflowers
Turning their petals up to the sun
Filling themselves with warmth
From 93 million miles away
I will tell them
Their Grandma made people
Feel good about themselves
Made them feel welcome
Whenever they came to her house
That when her friends or family
Had something to say
Even if it was about
Pain and sorrow
She would never be too busy to listen
I will tell them
Their Grandma made their Grandpa
Become a better man
I’ll say that
Was who their Grandma was
That is who Joyce is to me right now
As she silently ebbs away
That is what I will hold onto
When I think about what a gift
Joyce has been in so many lives
God bless you Joyce
But then, He already has.
As I type these words
When I hear her breathing stop
The silence is so loud
I feel like the Universe is clapping hands
I’ll be seeing you, baby
Wait for me, will you?
Love,
Your eternal paperboy
Bob
(Joyce Esther Bishop Katzman died at 5 PM, Mother’s Day, with her children around her, on May 14, 2017)
She is survived by her first daughter, Lisa Heather, married to Terry Wister, parents of Eli and Talia; David, our son, married to Nicole, parents of Emjay; second daughter, Rachel Jennifer married to Gary Farr, parents of Jakobi and Jericho; third daughter Sarah Hannah, now a UW college sophomore and who has exceeded her parents in their formal education. Me? After 42 years together, I’m not so sure I’m surviving losing her.
These seven adults are truly wonderful people, caring, loving to me, so helpful to both of us when Joy was alive and so incredibly indispensable to me now when I’m falling apart.
If they are all this way, all selfless and giving, then its no accident that Joy was a major influential presence in their lives. The good in Joy rubbed off on everyone she came to know, and her children? Well, God knows they were all overdosed by her Viking Queen (my decades old name for her) decency, emotional openness, strong when they needed it and soft when their hearts cried out for it.
They don’t come any finer than Joyce Esther Bishop Katzman.
Joys obituary, originally written as a Mother’s Day gift to her, can be found and read by anyone below:
We Never Would Have Met, Norwegian Girl (http://www.differentslants.com/?p=1822)
It will be read by Rabbi Martyn Adelberg at her Sunday May 21st, 2017 memorial service in Racine, Wisconsin
As eternity capriciously decides these things, that 2012 Happy Mother’s Day gift became her unexpected eulogy because Joy died exactly five years later, on Mother’s Day, May 2017.
**This is a strange thing, but I just realized an odd coincidence, although rabbis tell me there are no coincidences. My wife Joy died on May 14th 2017 which I had only thought of as Mother’s Day.
But she converted to Judaism beginning in 1977 and the day she died was the 69th anniversary of the founding of Israel. After 42 years together, I think she was more Jewish than I am. It’s the oddest thing.
Whatever anyone may or may not think of this, it sure looks like someone really approved of her, besides me. Damn.
The New York Times: May 14, 1948 |
Israel Declares Independence
Publishing News!
Bob Katzman’s two new true Chicago books are now for sale, from him! Vol. One: A Savage Heart and Vol. Two: Fighting Words
Gritty, violent, friendship, classic American entrepreneurship love, death, heartbreak and the real dirt about surviving in a completely corrupt major city under the Chicago Machine. More history and about one man’s life than a person may imagine.
Please visit my new website: https://www.dontgoquietlypress.com If a person doesn’t want to use PayPaI, I also have a PO Box & I ship anywhere in America.
Send me a money order with your return and contact info. I will get your books to you within ten days. Here’s complete information on how to buy my books:
Vol 1: A Savage Heart and Vol. 2: Fighting Words My books weigh almost 2 pounds each, with about 525 pages each and there are a total together of 79 stories and story/poems.
Robert M. Katzman Don’t Go Quietly Press PO Box 44287 Racine, Wis. 53404-9998 (262)752-3333, 8AM–7PM
Books cost $29.95 each, plus shipping
For: (1)$3.95; (2)$5.95; (3)$7.95; (4)$8.95 (5)$9.95;(6) $10.95
(7) $11.95; (8) $12.95; (9)$13.95 (10)$15.95 (15)$19.95
Shipping by air to most of Europe, due to the weight of my books is $99.00
I am also for hire if anyone wants me to read my work and answer questions in the Chicago/Milwaukee area. Schools should call me for quantity discounts for 30 or more books. Also: businesses, bookstores, private organizations or churches and so on.
My Fighting Words Publishing Co. four original books, published between 2004 and 2007 are now out-of-print. I still have some left and will periodically offer them for sale on my new website. My hour-long story reading at WGTD 91.1 NPR Kenosha, Wis is now a podcast. The interview and story can be heard here:
Speaking of Our Words June 30th, 2017 With special guest star and featured writer Bob Katzman. Bob reads his memoir, “Audrey, Pink Bunny Slippers, Her Cat and the God’s Eye” and talks about his wife. Your comments are welcome, below, and please tell others I can be found here as a writer. I can also be hired as a speaker for organizations, etc, both here and in Europe. Seeking an agent. robertmkatzman@gmail.com Poet & Storyteller for hire for organizations, schools or private events www.DifferentSlants.com to view recent and older examples of my work
847.274.1474 Attachments area
Preview YouTube video Speaking of Our Words – June 30th, 2017
Speaking of Our Words – June 30th, 2017