This poem I read
at the end of my life…
As I bid you adieu
from the joy and the strife
A verse filled with hope,
and with love from within
To carry inside you,
my song on the wind
I’ll try not to preach,
as others have done
But rather beseech you,
your songs yet unsung
To love with the strength
that’s God given inside
And to love even more,
in an unending rhyme
These words are my gift,
I bequeath you today
In the hope you’ll remember
what I last had to say
For I loved you all deeply,
your kindness I sought
And remember now sweetly,
those blessings you brought
So I leave you this morning,
and bid you farewell
I leave you together,
pledged hearts here to dwell
All strength in your sharing,
my love to remind
Your redemption awaits
—its salvation divine
(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)