This painting and following poem were created to honor a young man and his beautiful family. He was a dear friend of my youngest son and loved by our whole family.  He passed into non-physical unexpectadly, 3 years ago, and is lovingly held in memory by all who knew him. 

The stones that many of us collect often contain lovely memories for us. The idea for the title and also the poem came to me as I finished this piece.  I hope that it will honor his beautiful spirit, the gentle strength of his wife and his sweet little son.  The poem was written by Cristina R. M. Norcross.

"The Memory Keeper"

I will be the memory keeper of time ~
the way trees whisper history
with every wind blown leaf that falls,
Discovery will guide our fingers,
as your breath of wonder
and my breath of pride carry us forward.

I will be the memory keeper of dreams,
watching you find your footing amongst the stones.
After you offer up a prized rock,
we will ponder the crystallized gifts inside.

I will be the memory keeper of love,
sharing stories of the great love that brought you to me.
I will always hold dear that sacred union.
Thankfulness will spring forth,
like a fountain that showers down upon parched earth.

I will never be left wanting
inside the heart of memory.
Within these stones.
within your hands ~
you hold our stories.
We will be the memory keepers of living.

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2009