I carry you in my spirit

Your rolling hills and maple groves

The gurgling brooks and woodland trails

Your white tailed deer, chipmunks and squirrel

I carry you in my spirit

You who have been so kind

Who took me in when I so needed taking in

In body as well as in spirit

I carry you in my spirit

The joy of a puppy bounding with glee

A kitten’s purr and the gentle head-butt of a calf

And oh for me, the feel of equine muscle beneath me as we run

I carry you in my Spirit

Big sister from whom I learned so much

My brother and best buddy as we played from dusk to dawn

And little sister, such a soul mate for me, you I hold so dear

I carry you in my spirit

Children, my three, and now grand children dear

And each student I teach from one year to the next

Even those who I hear of with so very much need

I carry you in my spirit

Lessons learned when I’ve stumbled and fallen

And those lessons, too, when I’ve skipped and I’ve soared

And those lessons I have also learned  from other’s skinned up knees

I carry you in my spirit

As you have so carried me

You who write and read and uplift

And share your stories true —thank you all