Children

For the second time in five years I witnessed yesterday parents burying their son. I was not as close to the second family as the first but the evidence of inner pain remained the same. During the funeral service I thought again of the pain my dear friend suffered when he buried his son and of the blessing that my son still lives.

I will see my son again at Christmas but these two families will never see their sons again. If you have a son or a daughter did you tell them that you love them? Do you cherish their smile and the sound of their laughter in your ears? I hope so. Time spent with loved ones is more precious than any other time in your calendar. Share it wisely and abundantly each opportunity you may get.

My friend asked me to write a poem for him and his son. His son was a police officer killed in the line of duty. My words though inadequate were I am told of some comfort to him and that pleased me. I share them in the hope that someone else who may have lost a son finds a little comfort in these words.

Thoughts of a Father

The sun shines through the windowpane,
Yet it cannot enter my heart,
Its warmth seems to have left me son,
Since we have been apart.

A loss like this is too great to bear,
Of a father for his son,
Dear God was this how you felt?
When you lost the only begotten one.

I sit in the shade of a Carolina tree,
Out beside the lake,
And there son a few moments,
Each day do I take.

A father crying in silence,
As he asks in humble prayer,
For forgiveness for those son,
That took the love we shared.

And for your fellow officers,
Protectors of the law,
God grant to them His blessing,
As danger they forbear.

I now alone am sitting Scott,
Where once we both did fish,
Am reminded of a fisherman,
Who holds the keys to bliss.

And when I get there son,
By the grace of my Lord,
To him I will ask permission,
To worship with my ward.