Joe Jencks

I remember many visits to my grandmother's house as a boy. She (Ellen Kilbride) lived next door. As the youngest of seven kids, I was often overwhelmed by the chaos in the house. Grandma's place was always a safe refuge. All of the images from this song are autobiographical to my family and perhaps to yours as well. My parents gave all they had and then some. I remember them fondly as I sing this song. Passing it on…

Late summer morning on a front porch swing
There's a tear in grandmother's eye
She's telling me tales of my mother's childhood
And how they got by
Years of war, years of depression
And the hard times they came through
She smiles at me and says, "That wisdom,
Carries on in you"

Links in a chain unbroken
Words of a prayer unspoken
Invisible hands reaching through time
We each have a piece of the story
Each have a share in the glory
And a chance to pass it along to those who remain
Links in a chain

Girl Scout cookies, PTA
Baseball games in the yard
Potlucks in the Parish Hall
My parents worked so hard
Now it's a marble stone on the edge of town
Where we bow our heads and sing
Forty years, seven children
And some well worn wedding rings

Cooking a meal
Setting a place
Washing our hands
Saying our grace
Remembering those who gathered before us
Teaching a song
Turning a page
Singing a song
Standing on stage
Adding our part to the chorus

© 2009 Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music, ASCAP