God Bless Jim Shaw

By Exile

May God bless Jim Shaw a true gentle man,

May God bless Jim Shaw, and I’m certain He can,

Jim was one of Your subjects who lived by Your code,

Your principles his yardstick down life’s rocky road,

Exemplary husband, father and brother-in-law,

The graciousness and genuine goodness we saw,

In one of the quiet men You placed on this earth,

Integrity was his hallmark from the day of his birth,

The fine tenor voice that sung the 23^rd Psalm,

And ‘How Great Thou Art’ is now silent and calm,

Intellectual and handsome, fine athlete to boot,

You sent him to war in a drab khaki suit,

With tin helmet and kit-bag, ‘303’ on his shoulder,

He perfectly epitomised the young wartime soldier,

Where he witnessed the butchery at the beaches of Salerno,

And the awesome destruction of Monte Cassino,

Patriotic and committed, he took it all in his stride,

He stood up and was counted, served his country with pride,

You spared him his life, he returned to the fold,

For Your Christian values You knew he’d uphold,

Long serving Kirk elder, Presbyterian example,

A Freemason who studied King Solomon’s Temple,

And with typical loyalty he returned to the Mill,

I wonder how many remember him still,

Crossword pencil in pocket, slide rule in hand,

Solving mathematical problems no one else could understand,

A numerical genius, great bridge playing mind,

Considerate, compassionate, thoughtful and kind,

He was admired and respected by all that he met,

His dignity and judgement I will never forget,

His clarity of thinking, his pure common sense,

His modest demeanour, his unpretentiousness,

Camouflaged the steel that was under his skin,

The strength and endurance to never give in,

Jim was never ‘short term’, that was never his style,

When he made up his mind he went the full mile

So our thanks to you Lord, for the privilege of knowing,

Our thanks to you Lord for the privilege of going,

Through part of our lives in the company of a man,

Who came out of a mould from Your original plan,

Destined for Heaven from the day of his birth,

Our thanks to you Lord for Jim’s time on earth.