Memories Tug At My Heartstrings . . .

Memories of Sister and Brother,

But the fondest of all that I can recall,

Are the Memories of Father and Mother.

My Mother and oldest sister as a baby. My Mother was 17.
Aren't they beautiful?!!

The Family Meeting

By  Charles Sprague

(first voice)

We are all here!

Father, Mother, Sister, Brother,

All who hold each other dear.

Each chair is filled, we're all at home;

Tonight let no cold stranger come;

It is not often thus around

Our old familiar hearth we're found.

Bless, then, the meeting and the spot;

For once be every care forgot;

Let gentle Peace assert her power,

And Kind Affection rule the hour;

We are all, all here!

My Mother as a 10 year old and some things I cross stitched for her
through the years.The Easter chicks we had for as long as I can remember
and the bunny and duck she made when I was young. I have always
loved them, and they remind me of Mama.

(second voice)

We're not all here. . .

Some are away, the dead ones dear,

Who thronged with us this ancient hearth,

And gave the hour to guileless mirth.

Fate, with a stern, relentless hand

Looked in and thinned our little band;

Some like a night-flash passed away,

And some sank, lingering, day by day;

The quiet graveyard some lie here

And cruel ocean has his share.

We're not all here. . .

The pillow was cross stitched in 1987 at our first family reunion with just us
siblings and our parents.  The girls cross stitched a "Sisters" poem, and I had
the honor of stitching this for Mama. She loved the lace rose potpouri bag
I made for her as well as the needle roll.  I think she was my
biggest fan of just about everything I made.

(first voice)

We ARE all here!

Even they the dead, though dead, so dear.

Fond Memory, to her duty true,

Brings back their faded forms to view.

How life-like, through the mist of years,

Each well-remembered face appears!

We see them as in times long past;

From each to each kind looks are cast;

We hear their words, their smiles behold,

They're 'round us as they were of old

We Are all here!

This tile on the left was painted by my Mother. She made these Easter Eggs and they
were in our Easter decor for as long as I can remember. You know the child who
begs and begs to decorate for EVERY Holiday, As soon as possible...
Yeah, that was me.

(voices together)

We are all here!

Father, Mother, Sister, Brother,

You that I love with love so dear.

This may not long of us be said;

Soon we must join the gathered dead;

And by the hearth we now sit 'round,

Some other circle will be found.

O, then that wisdom may we know,

Which yields a life of peace below!

So, in the world to follow this,

May each repeat, in words of bliss

WE ARE ALL, ALL HERE!

Yesterday, March 23, 2013 was the 4th anniversary of my Mother's death... 

This poem, by Charles Sprague, was shared with us by our sister, Jody, as a theme

for a family reunion in 1989 and has since become the family poem. 

It is recited at each extended family reunion and we all join on the last,

"WE ARE ALL, ALL HERE!"

Sometimes we hold hands as it is recited. It is a very heart warming thing for us. 

Jody also recited it at our Father's funeral, but at Mama's,  Jody was recovering from a medical emergency. The rest of this story is for another post. Memories ~ Part II.

Our oldest daughter is an editor
and she was able to edit this picture
of my Mother for the front of the funeral program. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was the one who typed up and had copied our Father's funeral program. So, we just decided that we could do the program for Mom's funeral, too. In the original picture, my Grandniece was sitting on Mom's lap. My daughter was able to take her out of the picture, and make a lapel on Mom's Jacket. Doesn't Daughter*1 have great skills?

















We placed the words to
"The Family Meeting",
"our family poem", on the  back of the program,
(the typing and the typos were MINE!),
as a reminder to family and friends how much
we love each other.
And we all have a copy of the poem now.

The picture in the picture ;) , is of my parents and I when I was 17. The lace heart is one I purchased from
Sweet Inspirations Etsy Shop
The Easter decor is from the 50's aand 60's.

Thank you, Mama, for your
undying love...
I miss you, but know that
"Our love will still be there...
 It will always be there."
My heart is so full of gratitude....

Heart hugs to you,
my blogging friends,

Betsy





PS ~ This evening I received the sad news that my Mother's Sister passed away today.
Four years and two days after my Mother.