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Cheese

The beginnings of cheese

Archaeologists have discovered that as far back as 6000 BC cheese had been made from cow's and goat's milk and stored in tall jars. Egyptian tomb murals of 2000 BC show butter and cheese being made, and other murals which show milk being stored in skin bags suspended from poles demonstrate a knowledge of dairy husbandry at that time. It is likely that nomadic tribes of Central Asia found animal skin bags a useful way to carry milk on animal backs when on the move. Fermentation of the milk sugars would cause the milk to curdle and the swaying motion would break up the curd to provide a refreshing whey drink. The curds would then be removed, drained and lightly salted to provide a tasty and nourishing high protein food, i.e. a welcome supplement to meat protein.

Cheesemaking, thus, gradually evolved from two main streams. The first was the liquid fermented milks such as yoghurt, koumiss and kefir. The second through allowing the milk to acidify to form curds and whey. Whey could then be drained either through perforated earthenware bowls or through woven reed baskets or similar material.

The Legend

Most authorities consider that cheese was first made in the Middle East. The earliest type was a form of sour milk which came into being when it was discovered that domesticated animals could be milked. A legendary story has it that cheese was 'discovered' by an unknown Arab nomad. He is said to have filled a saddlebag with milk to sustain him on a journey across the desert by horse. After several hours riding he stopped to quench his thirst, only to find that the milk had separated into a pale watery liquid and solid white lumps. Because the saddlebag, which was made from the stomach of a young animal, contained a coagulating enzyme known as rennin, the milk had been effectively separated into curds and whey by the combination of the rennin, the hot sun and the galloping motions of the horse. The nomad, unconcerned with technical details, found the whey drinkable and the curds edible.

The Jews

From Biblical sources we learn that when David escaped across the River Jordan he was fed with 'cheese of kine' (cows) (2 Samuel 17:29), and it is said that he presented ten cheeses to the captain of the army drawn up to do battle with Saul (1 Samuel 17:18). Indeed, records show that there was at one time a location near Jerusalem called 'The Valley of the Cheesemakers'. Clearly, skills had been developed to preserve milk either as an acid-curd based cheese or as a range of lactic cheeses, and fermented milks such as today's unsweetened natural yoghurt.

Roman Cheesemaking

Learning these techniques, the Romans with their characteristic efficiency were quick to develop cheesemaking to a fine art. Cheesemaking was done with skill and knowledge and reached a high standard. By this time the ripening process had been developed and it was known that various treatments and conditions under storage resulted in different flavours and characteristics. The larger Roman houses had a separate cheese kitchen, the caseale, and also special areas where cheese could be matured. In large towns home-made cheese could be taken to a special centre to be smoked. Written evidence shows clearly how far the Romans had changed the art of cheesemaking:-

Homer, ca. 1184 BC, refers to cheese being made in the mountain caves of Greece from the milk of sheep and goats. Indeed one variety called 'Cynthos' was made and sold by the Greeks to the Romans at a price of about 1p per lb. This could well have been the Feta cheese of today.

Aristotle, 384 - 322 BC, commented on cheese made from the milk of mares and asses - the Russian 'koumiss' is in fact derived from mare's milk and is fermented to provide an alcoholic content of up to 3%.

Varro, ca. 127 BC, had noted the difference in cheeses made from a number of locations and commented on their digestibility. By this time the use of rennet had become commonplace, providing the cheesemaker with far greater control over the types of curd produced. Cheese had started to move from subsistence to commercial levels and could be marketed accordingly.

Columella, ca. AD 50, wrote about how to make cheese in considerable detail. Scottish cheesemakers today would be perfectly at home with many of the principles he set out so clearly some 1900 years ago.

By AD 300, cheese was being regularly exported to countries along the Mediterranean seaboard. Trade had developed to such an extent that the emperor Diocletian had to fix maximum prices for a range of cheeses including an apple-smoked cheese highly popular with Romans. Yet another cheese was stamped and sold under the brand name of 'La Luna', and is said to have been the precursor of today's Parmesan which was first reported as an individual make of cheese in AD 1579.

Thus, Roman expertise spread throughout Europe wherever their empire extended. While the skills remained at first with the landowners and Roman farmers, there is little doubt that in time they also percolated down to the local population. Roman soldiers, who had completed their military service and intermarried with the local populace, set up their 'coloniae' farms in retirement, and may well have passed on their skills in cheesemaking.

With the collapse of the Roman Empire around AD 410, cheesemaking spread slowly via the Mediterranean, Aegean and Adriatic seas to Southern and Central Europe. The river valleys provided easy access and methods adopted for production were adapted to suit the different terrain and climatic conditions. Cheesemakers in remote mountainous areas naturally used the milk of goats and sheep.

Tribes such as the Helvetica, who had settled in the Swiss Alps, developed their own distinctive types of cheese. They were in fact so successful in doing this that for a period all export of their Emmental cheese was banned. In Central and Eastern Europe the displacement of people through centuries of war and invasion inevitably slowed down developments in cheesemaking until the Middle Ages. Production was often restricted to the more remote mountainous areas where sensible cheesemakers simply kept their heads down and hoped for the best.

In the fertile lowlands of Europe dairy husbandry developed at a faster pace and cheesemaking from cows' milk became the norm. Hence, the particular development of cheeses such as Edam and Gouda in the Netherlands. This was much copied elsewhere under a variety of similar names such as Tybo and Fynbo. A hard-pressed cheese, relatively small in size, brine-salted and waxed to reduce moisture losses in storage, proved both marketable and easy to distribute.

France developed a wider range of cheeses from the rich agricultural areas in the south and west of that country. By and large,soft cheese production was preferred with a comparatively long making season. Hard-pressed cheese appeared to play a secondary role. To some extent this reflects the Latin culture of the nation, mirroring the cheese types produced in the Mediterranean areas as distinct from the hard-pressed cheese that were developed in the northern regions of Europe for storage and use in the long cold winter months that lay ahead.

However, throughout the Dark Ages little new progress was made in developing new cheese types.

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, monks became innovators and developers and it is to them we owe many of the classic varieties of cheese marketed today. During the Renaissance period cheese suffered a drop in popularity, being considered unhealthy, but it regained favour by the nineteenth century, the period that saw the start of the move from farm to factory production. The Development of Some Cheese Varieties with the Date First Recorded

After the Middle Ages

The next significant step to affect the manufacture of cheese occurred in the 1860s, when Louis Pasteur introduced the process that bears his name. Pasteurization entails heating milk to partially sterilize it without altering its basic chemical structure. Because the process destroys dangerous micro-organisms, pasteurized milk is considered more healthful, and most cheese is made from pasteurized milk today.

The first and simplest way of extending the length cheese would keep without spoiling was simply ageing it. Aged cheese was popular from the start because it kept well for domestic use. In the 1300s, the Dutch began to seal cheese intended for export in hard rinds to maintain its freshness, and, in the early 1800s, the Swiss became the first to process cheese. Frustrated by the speed with which their cheese went bad in the days before refrigeration, they developed a method of grinding old cheese, adding filler ingredients, and heating the mixture to produce a sterile, uniform, long-lasting product. Another advantage of processing cheese was that it permitted the makers to recycle edible, second-grade cheeses in a palatable form.

Prior to the twentieth century, most people considered cheese a specialty food, produced in individual households and eaten rarely. However, with the advent of mass production, both the supply of and the demand for cheese have increased. In 1955, 13 percent of milk was made into cheese. By 1984, this percentage had grown to 31 percent, and it continues to increase. Interestingly, though processed cheese is now widely available, it represents only one-third of the cheese being made today. Despite the fact that most cheeses are produced in large factories, a majority are still made using natural methods. In fact, small, "farmhouse" cheese making has made a comeback in recent years. Many Americans now own their own small cheese-making businesses, and their products have become quite popular, particularly among connoisseurs

(Source: http://www.world-of-cheese.com/history.htm)

Types of cheese

Asiago cheese

Asiago cheese is a nut-like flavoured cheese that is originally named after a region in Italy where it was first created. This region is known as the Asiago High Plateau. Asiago cheese is made in northeast Italy.

Asiago cheese is produced in two forms: Fresh Asiago (Pressato) which is mild in flavour because it is semi-sweet and has an off-white colour. Mature Asiago (Asiago d´Allevo) has a grainy more firm texture; it is yellowish in colour and has a sharp taste. Both types of Asiago cheese are known as "mountain cheeses”. This is due to the fact that cow’s grazed on lush, mountain pastures which allows their milk to be rich and creamy therefore resulting in wonderfully flavoured cheese.

Whole milk is used to make Fresh Asiago. The milk is then matured for roughly 40 days. On the other hand, to produce Mature Asiago cheese, partially skimmed milk is used and the cheese is matured for three to twelve months depending on the flavour and texture that is preferred. Mature Asiago cheese also contains small to medium holes all over its body. Its texture also varies from semi-firm to firm depending on how long it is matured.

Asiago cheese is nutritious and healthy and is recommended to be a part of your daily diet. It is low in fat and rich in protein and also is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. In addition, Asiago cheese provides a large quantity of dietary elements that should be considered when choosing cheeses as an addition to, or replacement for, other food sources.

Asiago cheese is a very tasty choice to more familiar and famous cheeses such as Cheddar. It is also extremely nutritious and should be considered the next time you want to add some flavour and a healthier touch to your meals.

Blue Cheese

Blue cheese is a common categorization of cow's milk and/or goat's milk cheeses with a blue or blue-green mold. The blue mold in these cheeses is due to mold spores from Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum to name a few.

Most blue cheeses (bleu cheese) today are either injected with the mold or the mold is mixed right in with the curds, to ensure an even distribution of the mold. Blue cheese was initially produced in caves, where there was a natural presence of mold. Most of these cheeses must still be matured or aged in the caves where they were originally developed. So the longer it ages, the more intense the flavour and smoother the texture. A combination of mold and other ingredients make up the colour, flavour and texture of the cheese.

Many blue cheeses are made from whole cow's milk, but there are also made with goat's milk. These complex blue cheeses are usually categorized as some of the best cheeses in the world. There flavour is usually strong, and have a tangy taste that differentiate these type of cheeses from others.

Types of Blue Cheese
• Gorgonzola - This blue cheese is from Italy and is made from cow's milk.
• Stilton - This cheese is considered to be the king English cheeses, it is manufactured from sheep or cow's milk.
• Roquefort – This is made from cow's milk and is one of France's national treasures. It is somewhat porous and has a green color rather than blue streaks. It has a soft, creamy texture and has a spicy taste.
• Cabrales - is one of the four most famous blue cheeses. It is a combination of cow, sheep and goat's milk.
• Danablu - One of the most well-known blue cheeses originally from Denmark.
• Benedictine Bleu – This cheese is from Canada and has been famous since 1943.

Cheddar Cheese

Cheddar cheese originated from an English village called Cheddar. It is a firm cheese which originates from cow’s milk. This type of cheese is one of the most popular cheeses and varies in taste. It can be of a mild taste to a sharper taste. Because of the recognition of cheddar cheese, it is usually readily available and varies in quality as well.

Individuals tend to associate either off-white, pale yellow or even a pumpkin orange colour with cheddar cheese. This originates from dyes being added to the cheese for a change in colour. Cheddar cheese also has different flavours, which is dependent on the make of the cheese as well as the aging process. Mild tasting cheddars are usually processed for a shorter period of time while a sharper taste would come from cheese processed over a several months.

There are several aspects that make cheddar different from other cheeses. Firstly, the bacteria that it is fermented with, yes, I said bacteria. Secondly, the process by which it is manufactured and thirdly, ‘cheddaring’ which is a process the cheese goes through to make the end result distinctive to taste.

Different Types of Cheddar Cheese

1. Mild Cheddar - This cheese is considered young as it has only been aged for 3 months, hence its mild taste.

2. Semi-Matured Cheddar -Aged for 3-6 months.

3. Matured Cheddar - Aged for 6-12 months.

4. Vintage Cheddar - Aged up to 18 months.

5. Flavored Cheddar - This matured cheddar with an additional flavour, example: garlic, bacon or port wine.

6. Flavored Processed Cheddar – Has an extra ingredient such as onion, garlic, curry or even pecan nut.

7. Processed Cheddar – Has a mild flavour and a smooth texture.

8. Cheedam – Combination of cheddar and edam cheeses. This cheese has a mild taste.

9. Steppen – This is low-fat cheddar cheese.

10. Double Gloucester – Has a high colour and a tangy flavour.

11. Cheshire – A bit acidic yet mild. Depending on the aging process and may have a more prominent flavour.

12. Cotto – Made from skimmed milk and has a fresh mild flavour.

13. Red Leicester - Has a slightly lemony taste. This cheddar cheese’s colour originates from vegetable dye.

Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is considered to be a fresh type of cheese due to the fact that it is not aged. It was invented by the Americans in the state of New York in 1872. The flavor is subtle, fresh, and sweet, but has lightly tangy taste. At room temperature, cream cheese spreads easily and has a smooth and creamy texture which makes it rich. It is made by adding cream to cow’s milk which gives it its richness but it is not ripened therefore limiting its shelf life. Cream cheese is usually white in color and is called ‘white cheese’ in certain parts of the world. It also comes in low fat and non-fat varieties.

In comparison to other types of cheeses that have a long aging process, cream cheese can be enjoyed right away. It however must be stored in a cool place therefore it should be refrigerated as it can absorb odors. It is also best eaten when cool. This type of cheese is also good for mixing with herbs and spices as well as fruits or even chocolates.

Types of Cream Cheeses include:

• Curd Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Mascarpone Cheese
• Ricotta
• Neufchatel (reduced fat cream cheese)
• Flavoured Cream Cheese (herbal, fruity, vegetable and peppery are available)

These cheeses are soft and smooth and have a fresh aroma, except for cottage cheese. The colour varies from a milky white to a creamy yellow colour, which is ofcourse dependent on the content of fat that is available in the cream cheese. Based on the texture of the cream cheese, it has to be packaged in plastic containers, jars, and sold in tubs or blocks.

Presently, existing pasteurization and packaging techniques are allowing cream cheese manufacturers to produce cream cheese with a refrigerated shelf-life of up to 6 months. Remember the fresher the cheese the better it will taste.

Feta Cheese

Feta cheese is one of the oldest cheeses in the world, and is said to be a genuine product from Greece. To be more specific, since October 14, 2002, feta cheese has been formally accepted as a Greek only, cheese. Feta is a soft cheese, and is made from sheep milk or a mixture of sheep and goat milk. However, in more recent times it has been made by using cow’s milk.

Here is a description of feta cheese: It is white in colour, has a delightful flavour, a bit sour to taste and rich in aroma. It is also shaped in squares. Even though it is said to be a soft cheese, it is also manufactured with a partially hard texture. Due to its superior moisture content, soft feta is more of a sweet cheese with a small amount of saltiness; it is rich in aroma and not too spicy. On the other hand semi-hard feta is saltier and spicier, having a more pronounced taste and aroma.

Feta goes through at least a two month maturation process, this being the stage of growth for the feta cheese to achieve all its quality characteristics which includes its flavour, aroma and texture. This allows the distinction from other soft cheeses of the same category.

Feta cheese is white in colour and is generally produced into square cakes. It can also vary from soft to semi hard, with a more tangy, salty flavour which can be either mild or sharp in taste.
Feta cheese can also be eaten natural with olive oil and oregano. It is also the ideal cheese that is more regularly used to fill pies. In Greek cooking feta cheese is often used mostly for gratins and pastries. Feta can also be crumbled over salads, such as their very classic Greek salad.

Fontina Cheese

Fontina Cheese is originally from Valle d’Aosta in Italy, and is made from cow’s milk. It is somewhat creamy and has a pale yellow interior with very small holes and a semi soft texture. The flavour of the cheese is mild and has a nut like taste with a hint of honey. However depending on how long the cheese is aged, it can be semi-soft to firm in texture, so the flavour can vary from mild and creamy to a more sharp taste.

Italian fontina cheese has a dark brown rind which gets darker the longer it is being aged. Fontina takes up to three months to be aged. The orange-brown rind colour indicates true fontina cheese. Other fontina cheeses come from Denmark, France and the United States. Many of these fontinas, especially when young, tend to be of a more mild flavour and softer than the original fontina cheese.

A well liked distinction of Italian fontina cheese is Danish fontina. This cheese is without a doubt encouraged by the Italian version, but Danish fontina cheese has a much milder, creamy flavour, and it is matured far less than the Italian fontina cheese. As a result of this, it is more of a semi soft cheese, rather than a firm one. The Danish adaptation of the cheese also has a red waxed rind. The more mild flavor and soft texture makes Danish fontina a popular cheese for sandwiches.

When shopping for fontina cheese the selection process is important. You should look for a consistently textured cheese with even colouring, meaning no form of discolouration. Older Italian cheese may have a strong aroma, but young cheese should have a moderately mild flavour. Mature fontina is a hard grating cheese while young fontina can be used as table cheese. It’s a great choice when you need a cheese that melts nicely.

Goat Cheese

Goat cheese is a cheese that is made from goat milk. It is sometimes called ‘chevre’. Goat cheese comes in a wide array of forms. It can either be made firm or semi-firm in texture.
It is usually a soft, smooth cheese which spreads easily and has a distinct flavour that is tangy like that of goat milk. The strong goat flavour is due to the hormones in the milk which can be reduced. Goat milk is highly influenced by what goats are eating as goats tend to eat more bitter plants which cows would not eat, hence the distinctive taste.

Goat cheese is a preferred dairy product as it is said to be less dense in calories like the cheese made from cow’s milk. Goat cheese is also easier to digest; therefore some persons who can not have other milk products will more likely be able to eat goat cheese. It is also said that goat cheese does not put any strain on the heart, which is great news. This is due to its low fat content and the cheese being able to be digested quite easily.

Goat cheese is often made in areas where refrigeration is limited so aged goat cheeses are frequently and heavily treated with salt for the prevention of decay. Due to this, salt has become a distinct flavour that is present in the taste of goat cheese.

Goat cheese is manufactured by warming goat milk and mixing it with rennet, which is an enzyme which allows the milk to curdle. The curds are then drained and pressed. Soft goat cheese is made by hanging bundles of cheesecloth filled with curds for a number of days to be drained and cured.

Types of Goat Cheese

• Castelo Branco – This type of goat cheese is from Portugal

• Halloumi – Greek cheese made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk

• Feta – Greek cheese also made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk

Mascarpone Cheese

Mascarpone cheese is an Italian cheese manufactured from milk which has been altered with cream. The fat content of mascarpone cheese is extremely high. It is considered to be a buttery rich double cream to a triple cream cheese made from cow’s milk. The end result is cheese that is very rich, buttery, and easily spread; the precise texture varies from very soft, to more stiff and creamy like whipped cream. This is dependent on how it is handled during the cheese making process. This cheese is originally from a region of Italy, where it is used in both desserts and savoury foods.

It's white to off-white in colour, soft and subtle, and ranges in texture from that of a light cream to that of butter at room temperature. It is resourceful enough to be mix together with other flavours.

Mascarpone cheese is prepared in a comparable fashion to ricotta cheese, but by using cream instead of whole milk. The cream is acidified by adding tartaric acid and heated at a temperature of up to 85 degrees. The outcome is precipitation of the curd. The curd is then separated from the whey by filtration. The cheese is mildly salted and generally whipped. The enzyme rennet is not used in the manufacture of this type of cheese.

The high fat content and smooth texture of mascarpone cheese make it appropriate as a replacement for cream or butter. So the high level of fat in mascarpone cheese acts as a lubricant when used as a spread. Ingredients in mascarpone cheese make it perfect for desserts. The most well-known application of mascarpone cheese is in the Italian dessert tiramisu.

Mascarpone cheese can be used as a plus in many food products due to its richness and creaminess. It adds a mild delicious flavour to many products.

Swiss Cheese

Swiss cheese is the general name for numerous tpyes of cheese that were initially prepared in Switzerland. It is also known as Emmental. Swiss cheese is made from cow’s milk. It is lightly flavoured, sweet and nutty. Swiss cheese is known for being glossy, light or pale yellow, and having large holes in it which is a result of carbon dioxide released during the process of maturation. So basically the gas bubbles from the carbon dioxide produces the holes in the cheese. The holes in Swiss cheese are known as ‘eyes’.

Types of Swiss Cheese

1. Baby Swiss – This type of swiss cheese is of light yellow colour, and has a soft, smooth texture with small holes, or eyes and is made from whole cow's milk. The flavor is mild, buttery, creamy and a bit sweet.

2. Comte – This Swiss cheese is a type of Gruyere cheese. The full name is really Gruyere de Comte. It is a circular cheese with small round holes; it is dark in colour with a tough texture and has a yellowish interior. The aging process is longer than that of the Swiss Gruyere cheese. Comte is a buttery, tangy cheese and has a sweet, fruit-like flavor.

3. Tete de Moine – This is made from enriched summer milk, the inside of the cheese is hard and creamy to yellow in colour and darkens depending on the aging process. It has a sweet and tangy flavour with a taste of nuts. It is also the strongest of the Swiss Cheeses.

4. Raclette – this cheese is made from cow's milk that is heated under a hot grill. The heat intensifies the full, nutty and somewhat fruity aroma of Raclette. When grilled, the outer layer becomes crunchy and has a delightfully savory flavor.

5. Jarlsberg – This type of cheese is from Norway. It is made from cow’s milk and is rich and creamy and a bit sweet.

6. Blarney - Blarney Irish Castle Cheese is a natural, partially soft semi-skimmed cheese somewhat like young Gouda. It is aged for at least 3 months.

Vegetarian Cheese

Vegetarian cheese is cheese that is not curdled with rennet, which is an enzyme that exists naturally in animal stomachs. Rennet is the popular name used by cheese makers to coagulate milk, forming curds. Most vegetarian cheeses are coagulated with plants, fungi, or bacteria. Right now, there are many alternatives to rennet that is in use by cheese producers. There are two types of rennets; they are microbial rennet and vegetarian rennet.

Microbial Rennet
This rennet consists of enzymes that come from either bacterial or fungal origin. However, some microbial rennets are originated from micro organisms that naturally generate chymosin, which is an enzyme that is responsible for the coagulation of milk. There is however many strict vegetarians who may prefer to avoid cheese with this kind of rennet all together, even though animals are not involved in any way in daily production processes.

Vegetable Rennet
There are specific plants that also have the enzymes essential to coagulate milk. Plants that have found more common use as coagulants are fig tree bark, thistle and mallow. In agreement with certain spiritual and cultural traditions, customary cheeses from Portugal and the Middle East are rennetted with vegetable rennet. Artisanal Premium Cheese stocks a wide array of Portuguese thistle-rennet cheeses. They have a distinctive texture and bright, herbal tang that appeal to vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians.

Types of Vegetarian Cheeses

• Butlers Blacksticks Blue: This is a soft, blue-veined cheese from Lancashire, England. It is made only with pasteurized cow’s milk, the cheese is aged for eight weeks, during this time it develops an amber hue and a smooth but sharp flavour.

• Sherwood Smoked Cheddar: This cheese is smoked. It is a moist but hard cheese and is made from pasteurized cow's milk and also covered with paprika.

• Saint Andre: This type of cheese is a soft ripened and enriched with cream.

• Cranberry Chevre with Cinnamon: This cheese is a combination of cranberries and cinnamon which produce an exceptional cheese that is tangy and spicy to taste.

(Source: http://typesofcheese.com)

True Joy

©M. Jolynn Rawson-Hunt

I'll be happy once I've done this certain thing.
We all say this often not realizing what it brings.
We look only to the future for our happiness.
Letting life slip through our fingers in its fullness.
Will we really feel complete when the task is done,
or look back and see how we missed so much fun?
Self consumed so we can't see anything else,
hurting those we love as well as ourselves.
So many things around us to be grateful for,
when seeking for an answer willingly open the door.
So often, others see what's in front of our face,
but we're too blind to look as we're snared in the race.
What is this life supposed to be about?
Is it money, fortune, fame, or a big house?
When speaking to a man on his dying bed,
none of these answers are what he said.
Family, love, laughter are what we should seek.
These are the precious things right outside your door.

A Friend Forever

Though it's only been a short while I've never had a friend like you
But soon you will be leaving me
And I don't know what to do
Your love and understanding
Have brought me a new hope
I wish that I could keep you here
Tied to me with a rope
Why do you choose to leave me?
I ask with confusion and pain
Don't let me go back to feeling alone
When will I see you again?
The miles soon stretched between us
What will happen to this bond?
Will we reunite to find
That this special tie is gone?
So many questions I have
My heart filled with fear
Dreading you will leave me
And never shed a tear
Unlike this desperate aching
In my heart that won't let go
Which leads me now to tell you
Something you must know
The friendship you have given me
The joy you bring my soul
Has filled me with such strength
And love once unforetold
How can it be so short?
This time we've spent together
I thought you would remain here
And love me 'til forever
Sadly, wishful thinking
As I now have come to see
But remember please this thought
When you think of me
We may soon be separated
But I'll remember, just the same
Forever in my heart
Is where you will remain
I wish that when you leave
We'd remain the best of friends
You'll be in my thoughts '
Till I see you again
How can I say goodbye?
No words, but just tears fall
From my eyes and sobbing heart
That knows you after all
The hours spent together
Will soon dwindle down to few
Forcing me to let go And start this year anew
Without you here to talk to
Searching for a friendly face
That knows all too well
They can never be replaced

Sandra Rosene

I Will Remember

When the stars dance across a midnight sky,
And the lullaby of a moon soothes me to sleep
I will remember.
When bird song rings through a lonely forest,
And clouds drift across an endless blue
I will remember.
When a wishful dream becomes reality,
And my eyes tell a storyI will remember.
When my thoughts meander like the trickling stream,
And my heart throbs for the one I love I will remember you.

Poem Source: Freya
I Will Remember, Goodbye Poems http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/friend/poetry.asp?poem=24094#ixzz17peBEeT4

I Will Meet You There

We all go through life with the love of friends and family
Even though we know they will all leave us eventually
Never knowing where the future might lead you
No worries though, there is a future for them too
Because even if there not in front of you they will always be in your heart
Nobody or nothing could tear a love like that apart
With that being said my friend you will always be with me
And when my time has come I will meet you there you will see
I know you are looking down on me now and then
Up in a place we like to call heaven
Make sure there is room for me when I get there
Just so that I know that you still care
I don't know how long it will be before it is my time
So I'm letting you know with this little rhyme
That I will always be here no matter where you are
You wont even have to reach out to me because I will never be that far
Don't ever fear because my love will forever send
And I will be by your side when my life comes to an end.


Poem Source: Jennifer L. Timmons
Poem: I Will Meet You There, Goodbye Poems http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/friend/poetry.asp?poem=14278#ixzz17pZXmb7A