JACK

Following is a sensitive and poignant poem written by Jane Ray about a person she admires who is representative of the population with dementia and Alzheimer's.

           JACK

Sitting in the place you now call home
What do you see?
What do you hear?
Who do you know?
Family comes, you smile.
Music plays, you dance.
Sitting in a place called church
What do you see?
What do you hear?
Who do you know?
Scripture is read, you remember.
Hymns are played, you sing.
Sitting at the Thanksgiving table
What do you see?
What do you hear?
Who do you know?
People talk, you listen.
Heads bow, you pray.
Looking at Jack
What do we see?
What do we hear?
Who do we know?
We see our Dad, our Papaw, and a Precious Child of God.
We hear voices of the past.  Words of wisdom; words of prayer; words of love.
We know a man filled with the grace of God.  A man who leads by example.
A man called Dad, Papaw and Precious Child of God.
And God knows Jack and holds him in the palm of his hand.
 author  Jane Ray