Since your last birthday

When you were still here

At 83…

Today at 84

You are with God as

Mom and Dad instilled

In these passed 365 days…

In us our belief…

Life has taken over

My family as well as yours

Have lived without you

But you have always been

In our hearts and on our minds…

Your voice is still on my

Voicemail and I have pushed that

Button often through the year

But a little less these days

As my life has continued

And my faith has been

Easing my fear that you

Are ok and living with Jesus

Who was so much a part of

Your life ever since I can

Remember attending Sacred

Heart school…

Going with you to church

After school to fill the bottle

With holy water… I think it

Sat in the same room as the

Baptismal font…

Then watching you carefully

Carry it home with both hands

As you could no longer hold

Mine as we walked… your mind

Being on the holy bottle

You held and less on my skipping

In front of you up B street

giving me more freedom

As we were closer to home…

Then watching carefully as you

Filled the small fonts hanging

By our bedroom light switches

So we could bless ourselves

Before bed and before starting

Our day every morning…

I’m not sure when grandpa

Turned this task over to you

But he knew the job would be

Faithfully fulfilled by you with

Great awe and love…

With time the tasked was never

Passed to me and seemed to

Fade from our daily life as

Have you… but I remember

Bill our brother would order

Lourdes water and bring you

Part of his…

This memory came back

To me as I prayed for

Both of you today and one

For me to meet back up with

You soon…

Childhood memories are tucked

Deep in my heart but never

Lost…Memories like these

Keep both of you alive in my

Mind and Soul and my Faith

Marching on…