01 March 2010

five years?
where has the time gone?

the Lord bless you and keep you
the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious unto you
the Lord lift his countenance upon you
and give you peace



diane sunde graham
18 august 1964 - 1 march 2005


my oldest, dearest friend
i cannot find
the words to say
how much you are missed
i swear to you
that i will try
to be as dear a friend
to mike, matthew and amanda
as you are to me

say hello
to your mother and father
who you missed so much
these last fifteen years
keep watch over Carol
and her family
for she loves you
and needs you
and is part of you
and will remember you
the rest of her days.
she is good
and pure
and needs your strength
and courage.

please find my dad
shout to him as you did to me
flash him your radiant smile
and warm him with your embrace
save a seat near you
at God's banquet for me
for i love you
as only a best friend could.

i weep
because you are gone
but i rejoice
because you are here
in my heart
and in my mind
always and forever.

time is irrelevant
in the scheme of eternity
for our life here is but
a blink of God's eye.
there are some who believe
that the journey from here
to Paradise
takes a stop along the way
to cleanse us and make us ready
to see the face of God.


i believe
with all my heart
and all my soul
that you found yourself
in the presence of God
the moment you left us
here in this life,
and that surely
your goodness and love
is as perfect as can be
and that you need not
make that stop along the way.

on the random, remotest chance
that you are still making the journey,
that you are moving
toward the light still,
i offer a simple thought,
spoken on the occasion
of my dad's funeral fifteen years ago.
it is, quite simply,
one of the most beautiful prayers
i have ever heard,
and since you are, quite simply,
one of the most beautiful people
i will ever know,
it bears repeating for you.


it
is
said
by some
that when a bell
rings, a soul, waiting
to get into Heaven, gets
its wings to take it there.
the next time i hear a bell
i will close my eyes and pray
with all my heart and all my soul
that you get your wings to speed
you to
Heaven


glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning
is now
and ever shall be
the world without end
amen

rest in peace,
dearest friend.

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