Remembrances

*Written for and presented at the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church Comfort Ministry’s 2008 Memorial Day Celebration.  (Commemorative theme: “Holy Spirit – Bring All Things to Our Remembrance.”)

Remembrances
Reaching back
Spiritually embracing absent family and loved ones
We will mourn our loss of them forever
But on this day we pay homage and honor their memory
We thank God for them and all they gave us
And, as graciously as we know how,
Thank them for their sacrifice
We recall daughters, mothers, foremothers
Sons, brothers and father warriors, ancestors all
Who stood tall ‘til time,
As measured by eternity’s hand,
Released them from their labor

Remembrances,

Memories handed down one to another

In ways that anchor and reassure us

Keeping souls safe through prayer and faith

Those who came before

Paved the way, opened a door

To which only they held the key

In the meanwhile they have left us remembrances

May we ever be comforted by this gift from God

This feeling, this yearning deep inside

Remembering absent, yet forever present caring hearts and hands

Warm smiles, strong backs, gentle hugs

Given then to build fortresses within us

Shields of love that comfort and cradle us

They soften tomorrow’s blows, enrich our spirits

With lullabies that echo in our minds and soothe our souls

In ways that only love can comprehend

Remembrances

Special and treasured memories of different times and places

But mainly of family and friends, precious and delicate

Somehow, despite losses, we grow -- always

For the legacy must continue

We lift little ones to places of understanding

Through stories and family photographs

Keeping alive their connection

With folk gone long before their time

Some gone so long even elders struggle to recall their face

But their place in the family will always stay strong

Just like the love and the strength they shared and dared to give

At times, it was all they had

Now we remember, with love, that they gave their best

And their best makes our tomorrows better

Remembrances, through smiles and tears

We thank God that, despite our pain and sadness,

Our souls are made glad when we remember