This is the poem Franny read at the celebration of life for her friend Marilyn.

We’ve spent too much time in useless wandering, searching for the safety

That never lasts.

We’ve spent too much time in worthless fear, seeking the certainty

That doesn’t exist.

The sign from the universe, the white feather, the unicorn, the strike of lightning at precisely the moment we need it: this, all this, is a myth.

The longer we wait for it, the longer we wait. Period.

Waiting is our retreat. Waiting is our denial. Waiting is our excuse.

Our hearts are already broken. What do we have to lose? This is all we need to realize in order to stop waiting, and start living.

Now, this is our time. We come forward, not backward. We step up, not down.

We fight.

We love.