His wife died fifteen years past, and he knew Living with his children would not last. They would want to put him in a assisted living home Just so that they could be left alone. They could not foresee that one day they would be elderly. They joked about him becoming senile But he knew that would not happen for quite a while. He was only sixty two with so much more living to do. He knew the only thing he had left was HOPE. And with life’s burdens he would have to cope. So he decided to go back to school And learn a new trade, and show his family that he could make the grade. He learned carpentry, and bought all the necessary tools And what he couldn’t get , he borrowed from the school. He already had in his mind of what he’d like to make. And he knew that a long time it would take. He decided to get the WESTERN RED CEDAR For its softness and durability, and aromatic smell This wood he knew would work quite well. He found the perfect picture of what he had in mind And viewed every detail and every line. He wanted it to be about three feet tall And two feet wide because that size would be just fine. He started off very slowly, just chiseling away. And sanding it down perfectly For that’s the way it had to be. He used each and every sculpting blade he could find To define each and every line. He did each part with delicate care For with this piece there was a love he shared. Slowly but surely it started to take shape He was impatient, he could not wait. But he knew that this was the way it was meant to be So that everyone could see the beauty that had to be. He worked on it every day, and his worries Seemed to slip away. Being put in a home was no longer his concern And that his children would have to learn That as long as he could breathe and walk All of this was just talk. This sculpture became his obsession and his passion and made him grow strong And doing this is where he belonged. His teachers were very impressed and said He was the best student yet. They said that this was a work of art and of beauty And should be put on display And that for this the public would gladly pay. He knew there was something missing And that it was not complete, and this problem he would defeat. Then it dawned on him that it was needing color. He needed the darkest blue and the deepest brown And went about painting it without making a sound. The darkest blue was for the piercing eyes And the brown for the shoulder length hair This was the perfect pair. For three months he had toiled with perfection For this was of the LORD and his resurrection. And this was how it came to be That this elder found harmony