How Can You Be Gone? . . . love, your mother

How Can You Be Gone?

How can you be gone today

When the sun is shining so bright?

There's holiday decorations and

Music and fantasy in lights.

How can you be gone this past

Month of serious celebration?

Halloween, Birthdays and Thanksgiving

All of which you considered worthy of your dedication.

How can you be gone now

For a year, I've been very worried

About how the anniversary and the holidays

Would happen with everything else so hurried.

How can you be gone

As at your picture I often gaze

And when I reach out to touch you

Your smile always stays.

How can you be gone now

When the prize I've found I've won

Is to still be able to look in your eyes

Which are really those of your son.

And oh the memory of laughter

Of giggles and lots of fun

Those I still hear regularly

As Jasmine keeps us on the run.

The time is now, and now is here

And as a family we face

A new year to encounter

And yet recall the saving grace-

Not only the meaning of the atonement

And redemption for those still living

But of your love and willingness

To serve others, in the ways you were always so giving.

So very many of us still living

Accepted a challenge for this year.

One to remember you and make you proud

A stretch goal we may all fear.

Something, since you are not on earth

To others do unto them-

Something that we could do instead

But from your influence it may stem.

For me it took a little time

And quiet contemplation

Of what would I most make you proud

And worthy of this occasion.

Of course the very first thing

Was to draw nearer to our Father and his son.

Nothing new was required,

But continued persistence in the course that we have run.

Your Dad and I planned how we could be better

At personal prayer, scripture study and temple attendance.

Then there was the service part – for us to

Continue in our callings that required our acceptance.

Next, I thought about what would be meaningful

To my son, his wife and his children.

What could I continue in his stead

What of his hobbies could be done?

Ah, ha! The train – that was the thing

That brought the children running.

Oh, for a ride in that really cool train

Was something that could be quite stunning.

So I began to book the summer

The word was out and I watched

As bookings started coming in

A chance to share what you loved.

For the church, both ward and stake

For Birthday parties, schools and work.

Even a memorial run for another-

Another child that He took.

It wasn't always easy to keep the commitments I'd made

But on and on the summer progressed,

Between my brother Dan, Spencer, Bruce and our friend Wes

Many childrens lives were blessed.

One more area I wanted to focus on

That of truly serving others-

The opportunity came thru IHC

To participate in a project of serving our brothers.

We made bologna and cheese sandwiches

Five hundred of them that day.

That's a lot of bologna!

Was about all that we could say.

And then when they were wrapped and boxed

We delivered them to the soup kitchen.

There we donned hair nets, aprons and gloves

And were ready to enrichen....

The lives of the many homeless

Not just men, but women and their children.

What a lesson in humility for us

One that will not quickly be forgotten.

We tried not to let the tears show through

At the hopelessness of others-

Why are we so very blessed

Is it only in the gospel that we are brothers?

And so again I ask

How can you be gone?

So very, very far away

And oh, for so very long.

A year has past and my prayer is that

I will remember every hour of every day

Of every month and every year

How often you would come and say-

“I love you Mom and I love you Dad

Thank you for everything.”

And then you'd be the example

Of Christ in the actions of your being.

How good you were to everyone

That you encountered in your short life

The children, the aged, the blind and the poor.

Those with misfortune at birth or in strife.

All were your friends, welcome in your home-

Each soul that you would encounter.

Where you continued to live the example of him

In serving the least of these, your brothers.

As a child of God, with his plan in mind

I want to continue to try

To live his commandments that we may abide

In Heaven, together, after I die.

You served your Lord while on this earth

And now my challenge I see

Is to follow the example that you set

That we may live eternally.