When I’ve drawn my final breath
And my body, laid to rest
What will they say of my time spent here?
What will I have given
to leave a lasting impression?
Will there be pain in their laughter?
Joy in their tears?
And so it is this I ask of you, dear children:
Do not mourn the life I lived,
but rather rejoice in all of the love I had to give.
I assure you it will remain
forever with you,
wherever you go;
Even once you grow old and
your souls summon you home.
In that home I shall also be.
It is a place not built of walls, but rather
space for us to be free–
Apart, yet joined by eternity.
Remember, also, another thing:
You are the stars,
the moon,
the world to me;
You are even everything between
the spaces of the spaces.
All I know of love I learned from you,
my darling dears;
Have no fear.
Your love has carried me through this life,
as it will continue to carry me to
all the places I am meant for.
Close your eyes,
feel my hand warm against yours,
as though I never left.
Think of my love when you’re feeling bereft;
For it is alive and well
And it calls upon you to live your life
as though you might also die;
One day at a time,
Forgive through the pain,
Love through the strife.