Verses & Poems

To have lived well,

laughed often and loved much;

to have gained the respect

of intelligent men

and the love of children;

to have filled a niche and accomplished a task;

to have left the world better -

whether by an improved poppy,

a perfect poem or a rescued soul;

to have appreciated earth’s beauty and not failed to express it;

to have looked for the best in others,

and to have given the best of yourself.

That is achievement.

There’s a door that never closes,

though it opens but one way -

It’s the door that leads to Heaven

at the end of life’s long day.

It’s the threshold of forever

where the heart is always glad,

It’s a respite for the weary

and a comfort for the sad.

It’s the door to peace and healing

and the door to joy and grace

Where the Master greets each guest by name

and with a warm embrace.

And the loved ones who pass through

into the light that’s shiningthere

Find a sweet and perfect home

within our Father’s loving care.

I give you this one thought to keep -

I am with you still - I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn’s rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

of quiet birds in circled flight,

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not think of me as gone -

I am with you still - in each new dawn.

One night a man had a dream.  He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.  Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.  For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.  He noticed that many times along the paths of his life there was only one set of footprints.  He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.  “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way.  But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints.  I don’t understand why when I needed you the most you would leave me.”

 

The Lord replied, “My precious child, I love you and would never leave you.  During your times of trials and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

Margaret Fishback Powers

For everything there is

an appointed season.

And a time for everything

under heaven-

A time for sharing,

a time for caring, 

A time for loving, 

a time for giving.

A time for remembering,

a time for parting.

You have made everything

beautiful in its time,

For everything You do

remains forever.

God saw you getting tired

when a cure was not to be.

So He closed His arms

around you and whispered

“Come to Me.”

You didn’t deserve what

you went through,

so He gave you rest.

God’s garden must be beautiful,

He only takes the best.

And when we saw you sleeping

so peaceful and

free from pain,

we could not wish you back

to suffer that again.

“God saw you getting tired

When a cure was not to be,

So He put his arms around you

and whispered “Come with me.”

So He took you to his garden

and laid you there to rest,

God’s garden must be beautiful

for He only takes the best.”

God saw the road was getting rough,

And the hills were hard to climb.

So He closed your weary eyes and

Whispered “Peace be thine.”

One gift above all others

God gives to us to treasure

One that knows no time, no place

And one gold cannot measure

The precious, poignant, tender gift

Of Memory - that will keep

Our dear ones ever in our hearts

Although God gives them sleep

It brings back long-remembered things

A song, a word, a smile

And our world’s a better place - because

We had them - for awhile!

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free,

I’m following the path God laid for me.

I took His hand when I heard Him call,

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day,

To laugh, to love, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way,

I found that peace at the close of day.

If my parting has left a void,

Then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,

Oh yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow,

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life’s been full, I savored much,

Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief,

Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your hearts and share with me,

God wanted me now, He set me free.