My dad was the greatest of men
I wish I would of gotten more time with him
Time has sure done it's shading
I hate to say his face is fading
His voice has long ago slipped from my memory
The sadness of that is sheer agony

I miss you as much today
As that sorrowful day you where taken away
You left this world way to soon
I still remeber that hospital waiting room

I was to late, death had already greeted you
I was only fourteen I didn't know what to do
I stood there crying in my sisters arms
I knew I would forever miss your fatherly charms

As I stood beside your open coffin
Tears spilling onto my dress, I felt like an orphan
Knowing I would never again see you smiling face
Your death was so hard to embrace

It was a gray rainy day you where placed in the ground
Setting under the cemetery tent no comfort to be found
Thinking even the angels on high
Could do no more than cry

You had been my hero, I was a daddy's girl
And my life from this point would do nothing but unfurl
I was, and still am so lost without your presence
I missed you at so many of my lifes great events

At all of my children's births
I thought of you first
And how you would of beamed with pride
At the thought I just cried

But as my memory, with time harshly shades
My love for you will never fade
I carry you forever in my heart
Like I was in yours from the start

Lurking dragons roaring in the background
And to everyone there is no sound
Heroic collisions of swords made of steel
But to others, nothing you say is real
So, tell me what’s in your imagination
Because I have this strong temptation
To take a look for myself

What will I find
Inside your creative mind
Will there be battles raging on
At the earliest traces of dawn
Is there a different you
Doing things you wouldn’t do
Like facing the swirling tempest of fear

What do you see
I’m listening, waiting for you to tell me
Will there be people cheering for their hero
Who victoriously delivered the final blow
Or is there a calm and stilled silence
Replacing all the profound violence
Where your favorite place is under a tree

Your mind is a library of stories and fascination
Please, don’t fear your imagination

A young little girl,
numb, complicated, and insignificant.
Pained, rejected, and craved for affection,
Searching for someone like you to fill my emptiness.
Somehow you found me when I needed you the most.
A young woman packed with the responsibility of an isolated child requiring a lifetime of attention.  
An immediate connection was formed beyond my comprehension.
You quickly became my hero.
Someone I admired and loved.
Someone I hoped to become.
You cradled and moved me into your life.
I watched and learned from you.
Showing me what unconditional love was.
Guiding me to chase my dreams and accomplish
my goals.
Believing in me when I couldn't.
Deciding I was significant enough to take the time in coaching me to believe in myself.
Delivering me with hope.
Surrounding me with beauty making the ugliness around me less painful.
Investing in me and making me feel worthy.
You became my family, an image I didn't entirely recognize was essential until I met you.

You were the mother I always wanted.
You wrapped your arms around my soul twenty five years ago and never let go.  
Your warmth still protects me today.
Providing consistency and stability in my life of chaos.
Showing me that I could be loved.
Instilling morals, work ethic, values, and kindness with every conversation you had with me.  
You carried me when I needed you,
and trusted me enough to let me fall at times.
Helping me collect and glue the pieces of my mistakes back together.
Passing on your knowledge and wisdom.
Allowing for my immaturity and ignorance to flee.
You continued to be my hero as our relationship strengthened.

You were my teacher.
Teaching me of my endless potential.
Giving me a crash course on the fundamentals of education, by making me understand them.
Showing me how to correct my wrongs, and how to avoid repeating them.
Giving me everything I missed out on.
Teaching me how to love others and how to live in the world I felt so alienated from.

You were my sister, always with the best advice.
There to see things from a more global and wiser perspective.
Permiting me to broaden my vision of circumstances.
Looking up to you, and seeking your approval.

You were my best friend; most cherished and most respected.
Understanding me fully, and accepting all my flaws.
Fun times, plenty of laughs, and dancing the nights away.
Consoling me during my breakdowns.
The friend I could spend every waking moment with, and never wanting to part.
Missing you when we weren’t together.

Somewhere between my graduation, wedding day, and the birth of my children.
Something amazing happened.
A combination of all these established time capsuled relationships evolved.
One reinvigorated relationship.  
A unique bond that can never be replicated or explained.
Every time I think of you, my cluttered mind becomes simplified as I smile with appreciation.
Having you by my side, a precious gift.
My hectic thoughts elude me leaving me with one word.
Hero!
I am the outcome of your love and support.
You helped shape me and continue to do so.
You will always have an unbreakable link to my heart.
You are and always will be my hero :)

© Jl 2015

I was once full of damnation,
But you called me and gave me salvation,
You saved me from evils' manipulation.
Anger was my motivation,
And desire for wrong things;my inspiration,
I had no hope for a future heavenly nation.
All I knew was condemnation,
But Christ,you took my hand and swept me off my feet,
Taught to me how to dance to your beat,
And my life is no longer under "the heat".

Sometimes the flashbacks
Can be picture perfect like a gallery
Every once in a while
I struggle with what life's like actually
As the memories resonate
Depression eventually catches me
It always baffled me
and still rattles me
Why did my best friend
have to be a casualty

I'm setting my GPS
as I pull down the street
For Arlington Cemetery
in Washington D.C.
Whenever I feel the need
I just sit there with him
No reason to speak
I let the ground beneath me
relieve some of the grief
Then just before I leave
I about face and say
You'll always be with me
Semper Fi my brother
Rest in peace Marine

why change what isn’t broken, because it can be improved
why build bridges that are broken down, you found other friends in the move
why fix what’s right and wrong, we should fix what the future can hold
why stay another day, no point waiting till your old
why be the hero of the situation, anyone can do if after all
why be a small fish in a pond, there’s advantages to it all…