A Prayer

 

God, please take care

of my Papa.

You know him so well

and love him so much.

I love him, too,

and I know I have to say goodbye

soon.

I'm trusting You

to see us through

this dying, this birth.

Please make his death

a gentle, holy

sacrament, giving us

a peace beyond

our understanding.

 

Let our hearts swell

with love and thanks

for the life he's had.

We know we'll miss him,

and have to bear the

pain of the loss

of daily contact,

but we believe

he will be healed,

whole, and happy,

living in the Joy

of Your Presence.

 

Heal him of the hurts

of this world, the

pains we all endure

as a result of our

loss of communion

with You.

Give us the grace

to accept his death,

while honoring his life.

 

He taught us so much!

His legacy will be

a love of music, and

a facility with words,

an appreciation for the

beauty of the arts

in this world, and

an honest, seeking

faith in You.

 

We will remember,

in love, and with humor,

the wry wit and

biting jest that

made him our

"Crusty Pa".

Help us to be honest

with ourselves about

his faults, not to

detract from his

spirit, but to love

him in full acceptance,

remembering with

fondness the real

Dad, who could be both

frightening when angry,

and tender when loving;

who demanded much

of us at times, but

was also impressed

by what we could do,

and proud as could be

to have such talented kids.

 

We will remember

with love the goofy

Christmas trees, chosen

on purpose because

no one else would have

wanted them, and they

deserved to be adorned.

Thank you for inspiring

him to write letters

"from Santa" to us,

helping to nurture our

faith that our requests

would always be heard,

even if they

couldn't always be granted.

He gave us a taste

of what prayer is like,

and modeled the way

to ask You for

what we want.

 

So now I ask You

to take my Papa

in Your arms, and

hold him gently as

he travels the road

to life with You.

 

Be with us all, and

give us Your Peace.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

Copyright: M. Anna Hanson

August 9, 1998

(My father died on August 15, 1998; this poem was read at his memorial service by Pastor Wes Stanton)

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