Warm smile, laughing eyes, true in every way is my Mother-Love,
my husband's mother, my children's grandmother, my friend. 

Madeline walks with dignity, is always generous, loves well,
but now her mind falters, struggles to recall names and places.

Eyes not as bright, step not as brisk, Madeline sits quietly,
but in her heart she stores a lifetime of precious memories.

Madeline's life has closed in around her,
but it was not always so.
She expanded my world, loved and accepted me as her own.

Beautiful lady, my Mother-Love, not related by blood,
but by chance, then by choice, by love and understanding.

Madeline will be missed.
I miss her already and say goodbye
inch by inch, moment by moment as she slips away.

A bleak journey lies ahead for her and she must take it alone.
But in God's good timing she will be restored to her full self . . .

Warm smile, laughing eyes, true in every way is my Mother-Love,

My husband's mother, my children's grandmother, my dear friend.

Donelle Knudsen

2008