The birth of a child
The death of a parent
The first stirrings of love
The loss of a companion
they live on in our hearts
We seem to hear their voices in the quiet
see their silhouettes in the dark
As one day ends and another day begins
We remember their spirit, their joy and their lives
We know that they loved us
but we wonder if they still know us
Do their souls linger, to watch over us?
Do they speak to us in our dreams
Protect us from the unknown?
How long? How many years
before we begin forgetting
the sound of their laughter
the feel of their arms
the strength of their wisdom
the stories they told
Our dear ones, we miss you
We love and respect you
and honor your memory as best we can
Forgive us if sometimes we forget
to remember
and lose ourselves in the joys and sorrows of our own lives
It is in living that we honor you most
It is in the making of our own memories that we remember you best
The Honorable Calvin P. Schmidt (1991)
Martin Green (1979)
Louisa Vigus (1999)
Clark Arnold Ilse (1999)
Kathryn Frances Arndt Ilse (1999)
