A flashlight in the darkness Is a poor replacement for a star; It is simply a light – not a Star – that has not yet shone, And may never shine at all. ## THE FRAIL ONE How weak and frail I appear, My body so weak and frail, With a mind so weak and frail, Yet so weak and frail it seems. My body so weak and frail Tends to fall and break and bend; I need more time and more days To shape my frail mind into deeds. I am not as strong as I ought to be, No matter how much I try. I cannot do the things I should be doing, And never will. I am far from fit for this earthly place, Yet now, I must stay here a while. I need to grow and change, grow and change, Before I can make the journey here to God. I do not need a place to lay my head; I need a place to lay my burden down. And I must, for the sake of my good name, Look at myself, and see what is wrong. I cannot see it all, for my vision is weak, Yet what I see is not as strong as it ought to be. And, with my weakness in mind, I will try To look for guidance in place of complaint. Perhaps someday I shall not be weak. ## LIFE AND DEATH Life is brief, yet we all must die. We can't choose the times or the way, When we die, and life's mystery Still baffles our imagination. We could ask God to answer our prayer For a short time, and that it would all come clear. Then, perhaps we could see the way For the ones we love to follow us here, And we could know, and everyone else could know, That when we pass over, we're going home. If we could only have a short time, We would make it just for you. And I'd wait, all day and all night, Till I heard you come home. But then death is also a mystery, When the earth takes us away, We have no control and no say-so, For the good time soon passes us by. We don't know why we are here, Or what we're supposed to be. We are born in the world by chance. It is given as a gift. The good die young and the bad get old, Yet when we think we're grown old, They call on the angels above And pass on to the other side. We can't say that life is over, For our bodies cannot be found. You can count only the souls left behind, And not all of them have been found. There is something more to our story, We shall see it in the end, For God knows who is good and who is bad, And when we learn what we are meant to be. We do not know if our bodies rest; We can only hope they do. We can't see our own hearts if we died, But the soul that goes to God will be led. In the end, we will be given back our soul, And may live for the sake of those left behind. Now, as the years go by and you are old, May your life be good and righteous with God, And when you pass on to the other side, You will be loved as one who was good. Yet, it's God's love that makes us strong, And that leads us through our lives. For the good things that come to you, You have lived life with a purpose, and all That is good comes from God above, Who sent his son to die for our sakes. Whatever happens here, it can only be God's will, And if you know this, the path you walk can be yours. And you can look at the good things you do, And keep your good spirit that makes you strong. It is the love that God puts in your soul, It is God who is here to guide you through. So, when you are ready to go, For a short time on this earth, Know that you have never had less, And you can have more if you just try. So, be as strong as you can be, And love the world as if it were your own, And when you pass on to the other side, Know that your life has been good. For God knows who is good and who is bad, And he has shown us this in our lives. Know that you have helped many souls, For it is by your loving touch, You have given our hearts true worth, And you can do it for God himself. We know that we will be with you someday, And you will meet us all there. And as we love one another, You shall be well received. What an honor it is to know you, And to call you my friend. For the Lord God is good and kind, And is the one who gave his son to die, To make us safe in our earthly lives, And live on forever with him in love. There is no doubt that Jesus is the way, And as we do right, we shall be made right. Love the world and those who live on it, For it is they who are our own blood. And when we pass on to the other side, Know that we were made good in God's eyes. For no matter where we may be living, We know that we can always see God, And when we come to him for a place, He will welcome us as the one who can see. But some have trouble with this, I know, For some take their own lives too soon. They don't know that in the afterlife, It is God who is good in his ways. We must pray to him to have a place, And learn that God can be found here as well, For it is good and good for all, When we all are doing our best. So, be as strong as you can be, And love the world as if it were your own. For it is good to be of use, And be good for others too. That the good will be left behind, For God does everything for a reason, And when we pass on to the other side, He will welcome us into Heaven's door. For the time that we can be with God, We shall be with him with our good work. And when we leave our bodies, And go to the other side, When we stand in God's loving arms, We will be happy in the light. And there are many others to tell you so, For God knows all that is good and all that is not. So, never let your eyes fall to the ground. For it is God who knows all things good and kind. And when you go to the other side, You will be in good hands, for we are told That God will guide you with his love, And bring you to where he is waiting. But God can make you well if you are weak, And he can show you the way when it is time. And it is the same with the rest of us, For when we come to the other side, We shall be ready to walk in God's love, And feel good in the company of those who care. And when we leave our bodies, We will walk on in the light, And God will walk with us, For we are told that he has taken us in. For God sees us, and knows our story. He sees the tears that we have cried, And the pain that has made us hurt. God sees how we have tried to love him And to reach his good and glorious side. And when he reaches out to us, And welcomes us into his arms, He gives us rest, and peace, and joy, And leaves the rest up to us. ## PASSED ON TO THE OTHER SIDE You have seen that my memory is short. I know that I am not very smart, Yet I can remember some things well. I know what I have seen in my life. I remember my mother who cared for me,