IF I KNEW

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance
to say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting f or tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

A Letter from Above

Dear Mom and Dad,

I know this is a rough time for you. So I will be as gentle as I can be.

First of all, thank you for so many tears, particularly those shared with another that you love. They are a gift to me, a precious tribute to your investment in me.

As you do your mourning, do it at your pace only. Don’t let anybody suggest that you do your grief work on their timetable. Do whatever it takes to face directly the reality of what has happened, even though you may need to pause frequently and yearn for my return. Do this with courage and my blessings. Know that sometimes inertia is the only movement possible.

Give your best to keeping a balance between remembering me and renewing your commitments to life. It’s O.K. with me if you go through minutes, hours and even days not thinking about me. I know that you’ll. never forget. Loosening me and grabbing hold of a new meaning is a delicate art. I’m not sure if one comes before the other or not, maybe it’s a combination.

Be with people who accept you as you are. Mention my name out loud, and if they don’t make a hasty retreat, they’re probably excellent candidates for friendship.

If, by a remote possibility, you think that there is anything that you could have done for me and didn’t. I forgive you, as my Lord does. Resentment does not abide here, only love.

You know how people sometimes ask you how many children you have? Well, I’m still yours and you are still my parents. Always acknowledge that with tenderness, unless to do so would fall on insensitive ears or would be painful to you. I know how you feel inside. To be included as your child honours me.

Read, even though your tears anoint the page. There is an immense library here and I have a card. In Henri Nowens’ “Out of Solitude”, he writes, “The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair and confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not healing, and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”

Mom and Dad, I don’t know where you are spiritually now, but rest assured that our God is not gone. The still small voice you hear in your heart is His voice. The warmth that sometimes enfolds you is Him. The tears that tremble just beneath your heartbeat is Him. He is in you, as I am.

I want you both to know that I am O.K. I have sent you messages to ease your pain, they come in the form of flowers that bloom out of season, birds singing, voices and visions and sometimes through your friends and even strangers who volunteer as angels. Stay open but don’t expect the overly dramatic. You will get whet you need and it may be simply an internal peace. You are not crazy, you have been comforted.

Please seek out people bereaved longer than you. They are tellers of truth, and if they have done there work, are an inspiration and a beacon of hope whose pain lessened dramatically and one more wisdom before I close. There are still funny happenings in our world. It delights me to no end when I hear your spontaneous, uncontrolled laughter. That, too, will come in due time.

Today, I light a candle for you. Joined with your candle, let their light shine above the darkness.

Affectionately,

Your Angel child.
PS: I’ll. see you later!

There's some things in my life that I regret,
like getting a DUI and all the money I spent.
But the thing I can tell you and that's a fact,
gonna keep moving on and I'll never look back.

I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer,
got into trouble a few times and came back for more.
But the thing I can tell you and that's a fact,
gonna keep moving on and I'll never look back.

Just a Memory Away (author unknown)

I'm no longer by your side but there's no need to weep;
I've left sweet recollections I'm hoping you will keep.
Don't let your heart be heavy or burdened down with care;
All the times we loved and laughed are moments we still share.
Eternal joy and happiness stay in our hearts forever;
Strengthening our special bond that even death can't sever.
Now it's time to journey on and let your faith be strong,
For I'm in a better place -- I'm Home where I belong.
So if sadness finds you as evening hides the day,
Don't despair, for I am there -- Just a memory away.

If tears could build a stairway and memories were a lane,
we'd walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again.
No farewell words were spoken, no time to say goodbye,
you were gone before we knew it and only God know why.
Our hearts ache in sadness and secret tears still flow,
what it meant to lose you, no one will ever know.
Since you will never be forgotten, we pledge to you this day,
a sacred space within our hearts is where you'll always stay.

We little knew that morning that God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone;
for part of us went with you the day God called you home.
You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide;
and though we cannot see you, you are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same;
but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.

*author unknown*

Could we ever forget your sparkling eyes
or the way you brightened each day,
or your smile which is etched in our memories,
so you're never far away?
Could we ever forget those priceless moments?
The answer, of course, is never.
For you were part of our lives for a brief time,
but you'll be part of our hearts forever.

*author unknown*

When you speak of him speak not with tears
for thoughts of him should not be sad.
Let memories of the times you shared give you comfort
for his life was rich because of you.
And though for now you had to part,
though to part he did not choose;
he'll be with you along life's path,
Forever In Your Heart.

*author unknown*