I'll See You Then

Where heartland plains roll golden wheat

To the foothills of the Rockies,

And the trails lead through the forests

Where your quests for truth have been;

On the slopes that point me skyward,

Craggy rocks and granite spires,

Towering snow-capped towards the heavens:

You know I’ll see you then.

Lines along the highway whisk by

On a road less traveled

Leading on to an adventure

I’ll recall time and again.

As I gaze out on the sagebrush

Tumbling on Wyoming’s flatland,

Knowing Nature’s wondrous sights await:

You know I’ll see you then.

By a campfire’s smoky firelight,

Popping embers, red-hot burning,

Shoot like sparklers in the night sky,

Glowing cinders warm my skin;

Where dear loved ones and my closest friends

Talk of joys and sorrow,

Sharing life’s abundant treasures:

You know I’ll see you then.

When the only sound is rushing wind

Beneath a glider’s wingspan

And I soar among the eagles

Where the air is pure and thin.

Slipping ever slowly downward

At the whimsy of the currents,

Feeling God’s hands underneath me:

You know I’ll see you then.

When I gaze upon my children

And their twinkling eyes of laughter

While they play along the lake shore

And raise a raucous din;

Then when night falls and the shadows

Fall across their sleeping faces,

And I whisper thanks and praise to God:

You know I’ll see you then.

I’ll see you for you’ve given me

The gift of life abundant,

And I want to journey with you,

Walk in footsteps where you’ve been.

And when that journey takes you home

To be with God in Heaven,

I will shout it from the mountaintops:

“You know I’ll see you then!”

© Kelly Turner

for Mom, April 2000