Without ever saying goodbye.
Without ever saying why.
You departed from this life.
Leaving us all behind.

From your friends to your enemies,
Tears fell from our eyes.
Not a heart was left unbroken.
Not an eye was left dry.

We all sat together grieving,
Remembering scenes from our past.
Wishing we could go back.
Praying these thoughts would last.

Desperately we hold on,
Hoping never to forget,
These thoughts that hold your story,
From the eyes of everyone you've met.

We understand that you are gone, but these memories help us see,
The smile on your face and times we shared every night we dream.

-Brandon Stephenson

The Sun begins to rise as I lay here in bed,
Listening as these questions repeat in my head. I know I should be sleeping, but I choose to listen instead.
Searching for an answer, but most are left unsaid.

Another sleepless night, as a new day begins.
These nights are becoming dreadful, as the days begin to blend.
If only I had answers, these questions would finally end.
But my thoughts are in tangles and my focus begins to bend.

Days become a struggle just to do the best I can.
I know I need your help, im reaching for your hand.
I heard that you were with me, even when I chose to sin.
If so, dear lord I ask,  rid my life of these troubles and lift me up again.

I thought I was dreaming when I saw the bright light.
Two hands lowering down upon me from somewhere in the sky
I watched in disbelief,  startled  by such a sight,
As these great hands began to open, revealing scenes from my life.

Some of these images were difficult to see
I even closed my eyes during most of the scenes.
I was in disbelief of these things I had seen.
Dreadfully knowing these were images of me.

The scenes of my life disappeared with the light.
And a cold silence swept through the vast night.
Too ashamed to speak or to even be alive,
I lowered my head and awaited the verdict, for the sins of life.

After several minutes of silence, I looked up in fear.
And was shocked to see the dear lord in tears.
I asked him, "dear lord why cry over me? I have spent life in sin as we saw in these scenes."
With eyes filled with sadness he looked down on me and in a deep, trembling voice he suddenly began to speak. " I love you my son and there is good in your heart. You asked for my help tonight because you were falling apart. It saddens me to watch as you live your life this way. If only you would call upon me more often, you would see better days."

Suddenly with a jolt, I awoke in my bed.
Apparently it had been a dream,
I wasn't standing before the Lord and I wasn't dead.
I sat up and began to remember, as I wiped the sweat from my head .  
My heart was still pounding and my face was flushed red.

While thinking of the dream, I noticed a difference about this day.
I had woke up with no worries, no troubles or pain.
Realizing this was a blessing, a second  chance to change.
I hit my knees and with all my heart, I desperately began to pray.

"Dear lord, I thank you for your blood, your care and your tears. I see the importance of life now, my eyes are finally clear. I pray that you join me, right here by my side. I know my past was filled with regret, but back then I was blind. With your help, dear lord, I can make a new life. Together we can walk the path that leads  to your light. "

- Brandon Stephenson

We search for wisdom and understanding throughout our daily lives.
We watch as it all takes shape,
Right in front of our eyes,

But instead of learning,
We let this knowledge pass us by.
We let it go unnoticed,
By pretending we are blind.

Ignorance shadows us shading our sight
It teaches us to  look away,
To avoiding mistake and lie,
But by doing this we fail to realize,
The reason ignorance exists and what it's designed to hide...

By remaining blind to what you see,
You are remaining blind to what is right.

As our minds grow older.
And our eyes grow colder.
As our days become slower.
And the pages of our lives fold over, Revealing our final chapter,
Revealing our final hour.

We begin remember what we pretended to forget.
We remember and we begin to regret.
Then just before our eyes close forever.

We pass this knowledge down to one another.
We give you the wisdom we chose to ignore
With hope that you will see the image a little clearer,
Than we did once before.

So I only ask of you this final favor.
Please take the message I left for you within the words of this letter.
Use it to  build a better future for all our loved ones here after.

Learn to smile a little more.
Learn to live your life with love and  laughter.
You only live once my son...
Make it last forever.

-Brandon K. Stephenson

A powerful darkness grows in the sky.
A sudden flash of lightning blinds your eyes.
The deep sounds of Thunder ring through your ears.
As the wind begins to howl enlightening your fears.

You watch as the trees dance with the wind
You watch limbs fall as they sway and bend.
The sound of rain falling on the tin overhead
Grows  louder with each breath you breathe in.

Water covers the roads, as creeks overflow.
You worry and pray for the people you know.
Holding your children close around a lone candles glow, four silent prayers are carried up with the winds as the storm continues to grow

Windows break and the rain blows in,
Stinging your face as its blown by the wind.
You ask God to shield your children tonight. You pray that He has a hand over their lives.

Then, just as you seal the prayer with "amen", the chaos outside grows quiet as quickly as it began,
You listen carefully but everything is silent until the faint  sound of sirens in the distance breaks through the thick silence.

Stepping over broken glass, your eyes glance outside.
Through the tears and the dirt, horror floods your eyes,
Your once crowded neighborhood, lies bare with no houses in sight.

Of all the surrounding homes, yours alone survived.
Those four silent prayers were heard through  all the Hell and the fright.
And once again four are prayers sent.
This time spoken, all but silent.