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# In Case I Die Unexpectedly
- URL: https://mereorthodoxy.com/in-case-i-die-unexpectedly/
- Published: 2025-03-21T11:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-18T14:51:01.000Z
- Description: a poem by Rachel Welcher
- Author: Mere Orthodoxy
- Tags: Rachel Welcher, Poetry, Journal 6, Journal

*This article was published in the Winter 2025 edition of our print Journal. To read for free online, please* [*Subscribe*](https://mereorthodoxy.com/subscribe/free%5Freader)*. If you would like to receive future editions of the print Journal, become a* [*Basic*](https://mereorthodoxy.com/subscribe/member) *or* [*Solidarity Member*](https://mereorthodoxy.com/subscribe/solidarity/) *today.*

*for Hildegaard*

Always salt your pasta water.  
Watch how he treats his mother.  
Ask people how you can pray for them,  
then stop and pray for them  
right then and there,  
in a crowded restaurant,  
in the grocery aisle,  
during donuts before or after church.  
Embrace awkwardness, or else  
you will miss out on so much.  
Don’t chew your nails (like I do).  
Don’t open everything with your teeth (like I do).  
Don’t always fill the silence. It can be a gift.  
Carry the pocket knife your dad will give you,  
but don’t forget to take it out of your backpack  
*before* you go to the airport.  
Wash your darks and lights separately.  
If you find a good peach, give thanks to God.  
If you find a good mango, get down on your knees and worship.  
Give things away as often as possible. Hold everything  
with open hands. Nothing is our own.  
Don’t fall for fad diets. Try to eat healthy, but  
don’t feel guilty for going to *McDonald’s.*There is no such thing as “get rich quick,”  
there is only hard work. Go to bed tired.  
Put your feet in the water as often as possible:  
touch, taste, and see that God is good.  
Wake up with hope. Jesus is the same  
yesterday, today and forever. 

[(originally published on Substack)](https://racheljoywelcher.substack.com/p/in-case-i-die-unexpectedly)