When I say “I’ll keep you in my thoughts…”

I mean that when I’m driving alone in the car

And a song comes on that makes me pause

That says the things that I could not

I will replay the words over and over in my mind

And wonder if they could possibly bring you any comfort.

When I say “I’ll keep you in my thoughts…”

I mean that when I am raking away the winter leaves

That spent months frozen to the ground

And I discover a small green shoot that miraculously survived

I will gently pat its roots more firmly into the soil

And know that beating the odds is real.

When I say “I’ll keep you in my thoughts…”

I mean that when I sit down with my family

And they challenge all my strengths

Or I endure another round of the same old battles

With the ones I trust to keep my world safe

I will be a different kind of grateful for my day.

When I say “I’ll keep you in my thoughts…”

I mean that as I take my first trip of the spring

To see how the dunes have changed with the winter winds

I begin to understand that life shifts no matter how many fences we build

And the best we can do is stand strong together

Hold hands and face the wind.

When I say “I’ll keep you in my thoughts…”

I mean that when it is dark and silent

And everyone else is finally asleep

I am once again left alone to wonder what I believe in

And realize that in the end it doesn’t really matter what

It just matters that I believe.