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 or two
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 right.

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

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 for 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.


 

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design,
But I cannot unfold the petals,
With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
God opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom,
To unfold this life of mine?
So I'll trust in Him for His leading,
Each moment of every day,
I will look to Him for His guidance,
Each step of the pilgrim way.
The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows,
I'll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

As fall the leaves, so drop the days
In silence from the tree of life;
Born for a little while to blaze
In action in the heat of strife,
And then to shrivel with Time's blast
And fade forever in the past.
 
In beauty once the leaf was seen;
To all it offered gentle shade;
Men knew the splendor of its green
What cheered them so, would quickly fade:
And quickly, too, must pass away
All that is splendid of to-day.
 
To try to keep the leaves were vain,
Men understand that they must fall;
Why should they bitterly complain
When sorrows come to one and all?
Why should they mourn the passing day
That must depart along the way?  
Edgar Guest

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman,
Not the grief of a child
And you learn to build all your roads on today,
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
In stead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure...
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth,
and you learn and learn...
With every good bye you learn.
---
Veronica Shoffstall 1971

If I do not want what you want, please try not to tell me that my want is wrong.
Or if I believe other than you, at least pause before you correct my view.
Or if my emotion is more than yours, or less, given the same circumstances, try not to ask me to feel more weakly or strongly. Or yet if I act in some way other than your design for action, let me be.
I do not, for the moment at least, ask you to understand me. That will come only when you are willing to give up changing me into a copy of you. I may be your spouse, your employee, your child, your parent, or your friend. If you will allow me any of my own wants, or emotions, or beliefs, or actions, then you open yourself, so that some day these ways of mine might not seem so wrong, and might finally appear to you as right -- for me. To put up with me is the first step to understanding me. Not that you embrace my ways as right for you, but that you are no longer irritated or disappointed with me for my seeming waywardness. And in understanding me, you might come to prize my differences from you, and far from seeking to change them, you might preserve and even nurture those differences. Author Unknown to me

My words were harsh & hasty
And they came without a thought.
Then I saw the pain & anguish
That my bitter words had brought. Bitter words that I had spoken
Made me think back through the past;
Of how many times I'd uttered
Biting words whose pain would last. Then I wondered of the people
I had hurt by things I'd said;
All the ones I had discouraged
When I didn't use my head. Then I thought about my own life
Of painful words I've heard;
And of the times I'd been discouraged
By a sharp and cruel word. And now clearly I remember
All the things I might have done;
But, by a word I was discouraged
And they never were begun. So, help my words be silver boxes,
Neatly wrapped up with a bow;
That I give to all so freely,
As through each day I gladly go. Silver boxes full of treasure,
Precious gifts from above;
That all the people I encounter
Might have a box of love

---Florence Littauer 

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered ...
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives
Do good anyway.
If you are successful you win false friends and true enemies ...
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow ...
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable ...
Be honest and frank anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs ...
Fight for some underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight ...
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you help them ...
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth
Give the world the best you've got ... ANYWAY.

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end. He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (l920-l995) For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars...the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash. So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel. And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before. If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile...
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while. So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash? --Linda Ellis

When the sun announces the dawning day
Just flex your muscles and start on your way.
Go over, or under, around, or through
Any obstacles or hurdles that challenge you. Cast aside the failures of yesterday.
Forget the peaks and valleys that have paved your way.
Wipe the sweat from your brow and the dust from your shoe.
Take a breath and relax so that you may begin anew.
There’s a new day coming. Forget the burdens and obstacles that have held you back.
Focus on your dreams and prepare a plan of attack.
There are battles awaiting to challenge your success.
Daring you to stand tall and to give it your best.
There’s a new day coming. No matter how great the journey, or how heavy the load
How steep the mountain, or how rough the road.
When your arms grow weary and legs give way
Stop and rest for a moment, it will be okay.
There’s a new day coming. As shadows spring forth from the setting Sun.
Take a moment and savor the battles you’ve won.
Sleep peacefully tonight and enjoy your rest.
Awaken tomorrow and continue your quest.
There’s always, a new day coming.

If you've ever wished
you could turn back time
to erase a mistake
and make everything right,
then you'll know
how I'm feeling right now.
 
And if you've ever tried
to search for the words
to say that you're sorry
and how much you care,
then you'll know
what I'm trying to say ------
 
And how very sorry I am -----.