My Journey Through "Payne"

As children we never realize until it's too late
And nature behind us closes securely the gate
The very many moments we let life interfere
From saying and showing "we love you"
To the two most important people we should hold dear

As they age and grow feeble and resort to cane or chair
When it's up now to the children for their daily care
They begin to say and do things that slowly grate on our nerves
And we slack up and neglect to show the compassion they truly deserve

Oh, now to be able to sit awhile longer be rocking chair or bed
And to see that they are made more comfortable and surely well fed
To now take the precious moments that are swiftly passing by
And let them speak to us of their "glory days" before they die

Death -The Great Reliever- still always seems to come too soon
For us children who remain behind, alone now to face the gloom
Of a life now to be lived with only memories and cherished photographs
Of the many special treasured moments when these two made us laugh

They leave us fragmented with deep wounds to our souls
With ties that bind us forever til that day for US the bell tolls
When at last we are reunited-all life's lessons having been learned
And we are greeted again at last by the love of these two we have earned

And so -I can say- through my long solitary journey through "Payne"
That it has brought to me the realization of a soul's great gain
To have learned something so simple at the cost of so much grief
That it is only LOVE truly given and truly received
That makes up the greatest of this life's beliefs

By: Nancy Payne Murray (my momma)
October 1, 2006 in honor of the passing of her Dad & Mom