A poem written for my Mother's funeral

My Lord, I give you thanks that I have lived
to taste the cold clear air of dawning day,
to hear the thousand notes of singing birds,
to smell the sweetness of the new-mown hay.
I thank you, Lord, that I have travelled far,
I thank you for the friends made on the way,
for mountains, valleys, glimpses of the sea,
for every welcome place where I could stay.

The memories come tumbling down the years,
of family, of children at their play,
of easy times and hard, of lessons learned,
of drifting autumn leaves, the scent of may,
of summers on the beach, the soft wet sand,
the beat of winter waves and tang of spray,
and every turning year new things to find,
new books to read, new thrilling words to say.

I thank you, Lord, for every touch of love,
for sad goodbyes, when loved ones went away,
for every lift of heart, for every pain,
the sunny skies of June, November’s grey.
For strength that saw me through the rainy times,
for joys received and shared, each happy day;
and now the sunset; may my journey on
be truly journey home: for this I pray.