 |
| Derek "Cheese" Keen in Afghanistan |
Dear Mom and Dad,
Don’t cry for me.
Shed not a single tear,
For time to weep has passed.
I know it hurt you
Because you were not there
In my last fleeting moments.
But I was not alone.
An angel of light quietly
Slipped into my room,
And called out my name.
I answered, “Here am I.”
Jesus sent an angel band
To take me on to home
Think instead of the times
You both were there for me.
The times you took us all
To Little League and football
games.
When I heard Mom’s voice from the stands
Shouting, “Go Cheese go!”
Dad, you gave your life to the
highway
To put sneakers on my feet
And food on the table.
As I grew to be a man.
And man did I grow?
Knowing you were proud of your
boys.
Knowing how much you loved us,
How much we loved you.
I remember Mom dressing us
In our little brown and grey suits
And driving us to Walmart
To get our pictures taken.
Mom you always had a camera,
Picture after picture of us
Grinning like possums,
And we knew you were so proud.
Dad taught me and my brothers,
How to fish and to hunt and
To love pickup trucks and music
In the living room on a Saturday
night.
Dad, I heard you say,
“He was my soldier.”
But Daddy you were my hero.
And you will always be.
You two raised a soldier,
A poet and a fireman.
Not bad for ordinary people
Not ordinary but extraordinary.
Well done, you two, your hearts
Filled with love for each other.
You taught your sons to love and now
You’re teaching grandkids just the
same.
The angel came and took my hand
“But Mama and Daddy will be sad,
That they were not here,” I said.
“Fear not,” the angel said as angels do.
“You’ve been so long in this bed.
Jesus has seen your suffering.”
“Enough,” He said, “It’s time to go.”
These angels here will bring them through the days ahead.”
“Come home, my boy.” He said as I drifted
Off to sleep and in the twinkling of an eye,
I'll wake whole and young again and
We'll be going straightway home.
Don’t be sad for me. I’ll be waiting,
Through birthdays, holidays and
celebrations.
I’ll be in your hearts just where I’ve always been.
Cheese is signing off for now………
But not
forever.
Love,
Aunt Sheila & Uncle Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment