Before I Go...

When my life has reached its very end,
And I take that final breath;
I want to know I've left behind,
Some "good" before my death.
I hope that in my final hour,
In all honesty I can say:
That somewhere in my lifetime,
I have brightened someone's day.
That maybe I have brought a smile
To someone else's face,
And made one moment a little sweeter
While they dwelled here in this place.
Lord, please be my reminder
And whisper softly in my ear ...
To be a "giver," not a "taker,"
In the years I have left here.
Give to me the strength I need,
Open up my mind and my soul
That I might show sincere compassion,
And love to others before I go.
For if not a heart be touched by me,
And not a smile was left behind ...
Then the life that I am blessed with,
Will have been a waste of time.
With all my heart, I truly hope
To leave something here on earth ...
That touched another, made them smile
And gave to my life ... worth.

To Remember Me

The day will come when my body will lie
upon a white sheet neatly tucked
under four corners of a mattress
located in a hospital busily occupied
with the living and the dying.

At a certain moment,
a doctor will determine that my brain
has ceased to function and that,
for all intents and
purposes, my life has stopped.

When that happens,
do not attempt to instill artificial life
into my body by the use of a machine.

Burn what is left of me
and scatter the ashes to the winds
to help the flowers grow or to the sea.

If you must bury something,
let it be my faults, my weaknesses
and all prejudice against my loved ones.

If by chance you wish to remember me,
do it with a kind deed
or a word to someone who needs you.
If you do all I have asked,
I will live forever.

To my Children, husband
and all my bossom friends.

If I ever stop breathing,
the plants will breath for me.

If I ever stop listerning.
the sea-shell on the beach
will hear you.

If I ever stop talking,
the patting rain will sing
my song.

If I ever stop loving
the blue sky will embrace You.

But if I ever stop living,
Then You must live on for ME.