FAMILY
As
I sit here in the stillness,
While
the crackling embers glow,
My
mind casts dancing shadows
Of
glad days long ago.
I
recall my granddad’s whiskered grin,
His
white and wispy hair,
And
Grandma humming blissfully
From a creaking rocking chair.
I see my mother in her youth
And Daddy, young and trim.
I rarely ever walk these fields
That I don’t think of him.
Their council was the granite block
On which my faith took hold.
Their favor was the prize I sought,
As others might seek gold.
Throughout my life I sought to please
The family of my youth.
Their convictions shaped what I believe.
Their faith became my truth.
Their memories are my heritage.
Their achievements are my pride.
Their dreams became my legacy,
As through the years they died.
And when my robe of flesh drops free,
And I breathe my final breath,
Their faith shall bear my whispered prayer,
As, trusting God, I close my eyes in death.
Shannon Thomas Casebeer
