Look what I found! A poem I wrote before I was a poet. I can't remember the occasion but I think it went with a funeral. --- I just found it. I wrote this for a funeral of a young lady who started to the first grade with my son. I was asked to perform her marriage. She had a serious illness and I visited her at the hospital. Her father called me the day before they removed life support. She asked if I would do her funeral. How could I say "no." It was one of the hardest funerals. This poem emerged and I used it to conclude the service. How refreshing it has been to find it. Am was blessed.

I’ve watched as people use their skills
and go to classes and workshops
to master the ancient yet new pastime – a hobby –
we call it scrap booking.

It used to be a simple task
to throw some pictures in a book.
No preparation, no planning, no special art
just fit those pictures on a page
and glue them in.
We learned to write a line on each page
identify the persons, places, and times,
to help us when we look back years later
with the question, “Who’s that?”

I”ve watched as the scrap bookers have mastered the skills
and have made their books more attractive
with the beautiful borders and brilliant colors
to enliven the treasures left by memories of the days gone by.

Then I recall another scrap book that is personal beyond compare.
It’s a book that you can’t show to others
because it’s there in your head.
This scrapbook doesn’t have a fancy cover
and it doesn’t have special pages.
It’s tucked away in your fabulous mind
and it’s contents never changes.

Those special events that you share with someone
be it family and stranger or friend
are suspended in time and space
and you can turn to them when
you need to recover to a treasure
that will never end.

This scrap book doesn’t need all the colors and shapes
because they’re already filled to the brim.
You can see each event in all of its color
and even hear the words very clear.

So when you are blue and you need to recall
the treasures you’ve had in your life.
Just sit down and open the book in your brain
and thank God for giving you so perfectly
the scrapbook you have in your head..