Remembrance

I saw an old friend the other day

In San Francisco by the Bay
It took me back to only yesterday
The years somehow let slip away
We laughed and talked about the days gone by
And brushed a tear away with a sigh
We promised not to let it be this long
Like the old refrain from an old, old song.

Remember old friends we’ve made along the way
The gifts they’ve given stay with us every day

Looking back it makes me wonder
Where we’re going and how long we’ll stay
I know the road brings rain and thunder
But for the journey what will we pay?
I often think the times get crazier

As this old world goes round and round
But just the memory makes it easier
As the highway goes up and down

Lately word’s been coming back to me
There’s a few I will no longer see
Their faces will be seen no more along the road
There’ll be a few less hands to hold
But for the ones whose journey’s ended
Though they started so much the same
In the hearts of those befriended
Burns a candle with a silver flame
-- Mary McCaslin, "Old Friends"