There are times in our lives, when the lord hands us a task
Sometimes it is a pleasure, other times a burden for which we did not ask

With the gift of a child, husband and friend, we rejoice in each up and fear each down
We let them go in the sun and wish for protection when darkness is around

Birthday parties, ball games, graduations and weddings are all handled with ease
When serious accident or illness arrives, we often can only drop to our knees

We grab a rosary, read the bible, clasp the hand of an available friend
Together alone, prayers are said, lord, why did the young life end

We search the heavens for a reason, an answer, a hidden clue
Remembering the man and his life, helpless not knowing what to do

Family is given food, a hug, heartfelt words with hopes it may ease the pain
God has taken a husband & father, each person that was touched feels the strain

For some, painful memories return of an earlier loss in another place
Eyes of the family are a reflection of a long lost loved one’s face

The community draws closer, all remembering that moment they did not know was good-bye
Thousands of hearts straining to the point of breaking under the question of why

Each heart will travel far before this sad search is done
For me, I cling to the belief that each of us is the chosen one

No burden will be given that together, we truly can not stand
We are simply being taught through a man’s touch that life is in a higher hand

We are becoming the survivors woven together along life’s winding road
Setting an example, dealing with life, not letting eternal hope erode

The man has become the teacher, facing the end with an innocent heart
We must take the tearful lesson, making the turn to a new start

Today, this minute, the next breath is all but a short guarantee
We must step forward that is how the man would want it to be

With a rosary made of broken hearts, the man will stand on a heavenly cloud
All were touched by the time so brief, the man looks down and smiles proud

We remain to recover and slowly move from the pain and sorrow
The most chosen one has taught us to live today and not wait on tomorrow

Tony Anderson – February 2007