I can only hope to live
Into the the words I pray
Might possibly be written
For my eulogy:
He was a kind man,
Filled with compassion.
A true gentleman,
A beautiful soul.
Quick witted.
Wise beyond his years,
(Although he grew into that! ;-) )
He had a rich inner life, filled
With a prodigious imagination and
Grounded with a deep spirituality.
He was insatiably curious.
He confessed to those who knew him well
That he often felt insecure, unsure
Of himself. But in turn, those who knew him
Best always appreciated the way
He gave freely of himself,
To them, and also to strangers.
He knew he was a middle-upper class white male
Living in the USA - the pinacle of privilege -
Yet he valued every human being,
No matter their station in life,
No matter their skin color, caste, gender identity, whatever
Their lot in life.
(Something, he'd say, he learned from his wife,
Who he would say treated King and commoner the same).
He was a faithful husband,
Who loved his wife unconditionally.
They had no children, nor did his sisters
So their family line stops here.
Yet his influence will live on
In the lives he touched,
And the love he shared.
If I'm honest, being all too human
These are words I long to hear while alive,
But I will settle
For becoming the person
About which such words are written
Once I'm gone.
— Zachary
Into the the words I pray
Might possibly be written
For my eulogy:
He was a kind man,
Filled with compassion.
A true gentleman,
A beautiful soul.
Quick witted.
Wise beyond his years,
(Although he grew into that! ;-) )
He had a rich inner life, filled
With a prodigious imagination and
Grounded with a deep spirituality.
He was insatiably curious.
He confessed to those who knew him well
That he often felt insecure, unsure
Of himself. But in turn, those who knew him
Best always appreciated the way
He gave freely of himself,
To them, and also to strangers.
He knew he was a middle-upper class white male
Living in the USA - the pinacle of privilege -
Yet he valued every human being,
No matter their station in life,
No matter their skin color, caste, gender identity, whatever
Their lot in life.
(Something, he'd say, he learned from his wife,
Who he would say treated King and commoner the same).
He was a faithful husband,
Who loved his wife unconditionally.
They had no children, nor did his sisters
So their family line stops here.
Yet his influence will live on
In the lives he touched,
And the love he shared.
If I'm honest, being all too human
These are words I long to hear while alive,
But I will settle
For becoming the person
About which such words are written
Once I'm gone.
— Zachary
You describe a great guy. A magnificent human being! I sure you are all of that! However, to present a complete portrait, you'd have to include all the not-so-magnificent qualities or tendencies, and we all have them. HA. Of course, complete, honest portraits do not usually appear in epitaphs, obituaries, funeral conversations, and the like. MAY I SAY: I am glad to encounter another older one who does not have children. I do not have children, and so of course I'll never know a lot of things about that situation. But I know other stuff. As do you. (Macoff)
ReplyDeleteZachary, wonderful aspirations and from the sound of it you live them out daily. I'm glad to be on this Lenten journey with you.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully articulated and beautifully lived Zachary!
ReplyDelete