Elisa Garibaldi Tribute

YOUR LOVING SMILE WARMED MY HEART

YOUR WONDERFUL LAUGH WAS CONTAGIOUS

YOUR CLEVER WIT AND SENSE OF HUMOR

WERE PLEASANTLY OUTRAGEOUS

IT HAS BEEN SAID BY MANY

THAT LOVE CONQUERS ALL

LOVE CAN CROSS ALL BOUNDRIES

AND CAN TEAR DOWN ANY WALL

WITH YOU AND I,  IT WAS DEFINITELY TRUE

YOU SPOKE ITALIAN,  I SPOKE ENGLISH

AND WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO

IN TIME WE FOUND OUR OWN LANGUAGE

IT WAS DIFFICULT AT THE START

WE LEARNED THAT ALL WE HAD TO DO

WAS TO LISTEN WITH OUR HEART

YOUR OLD BUT GENTLE HANDS

ALWAYS COOKING AND CLEANING

AND DOING FOR ANOTHER

ALWAYS GIVING AND SHARING

AND SHOWING THE LOVE OF A GOOD MOTHER

AS I HOLD YOUR FRAGILE HAND IN MINE

I CAN FEEL YOU SLOWLY SLIPPING AWAY

IT MAKES ME MISS YOU AND THE WAY WE WERE

AND IT MAKES ME LONG FOR THE DAY

WHEN YOU AND I WOULD TALK AND LAUGH

AND SOMETIMES EVEN FIGHT

BUT THEN WE WOULD ALWAYS MAKE UP

WE DID NOT CARE WHO WAS WRONG OR RIGHT

WHEN THE TIME COMES

FOR GOD TO TAKE YOU HOME

I WILL CRY BUT FOR A MOMENT

BECAUSE I WILL KNOW YOUR NOT ALONE

YOUR HUSBAND, YOUR CHILD, YOUR LOVED ONES

WHAT WONDERFUL COMPANY YOU WILL KEEP

AND GOD YOUR FATHER 

WILL HOLD YOU IN HIS ARMS

AND WATCH OVER YOU 

AS YOU PEACEFULLY SLEEP 

WE LOVE YOU MA,

LOVE JOHNNY AND BARBARA

WRITTEN BY  BARBARA GARIBALDI  DECEMBER  2004