pjane (10/27/82)
"At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped. "When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don't call this my 'deathbed.' Call it my 'bed of life,' and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives. "Give my sight to a man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face or love in the eyes of a woman. "Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain. "Give my blood to the teenager who has been pulled from the wreck- age of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play. "Give my kidneys to one who de- pends on a machine to exist from week to week. "Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk. "Explore every corner of my brain. Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window. "Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow. "If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all prejudice against my fellow man. "Give my soul to God. "If by chance you wish to remem- ber me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever." Robert N. Test
mhauck (02/08/83)
Life of Mine My life is at peace, I walk with God. My husband holds my hand We walk the road of life, unafraid of tomorrow Each day brings a new world to explore. How I love to live and to grow with God. The weather outside is cold and snowy But we are warm and happy in each others arms I am free of all the pains of this world. God has touched my heart and made me free. I have peace of mind and life forever. There is a rainbow in my life Stretched across the road to tomorrow. We walk toward it and smile at it's beauty. The blue sky calls to my spirit, and it answers My spirit flys up to join with the rainbow. Sweet life I do enjoy the peace you bring. God gives mighty gifts, but this one is best God gave me Steve, I can want no more No matter what the road is like We will never stumble, we have each other. 2/8/83 M.J.Hauck
cjc@mhuxm.UUCP (08/09/83)
This poem tugged at my heart the first time I read it, and I think it is worth sharing. It is about my mother-in-law. You say she must be a special person for someone to write a poem about her, well, she is. It is about her life: born and raised on a farm in Vermont, wed her sweetheart from a neighboring farm at 19, and lost him to leukemia at 20. She left for the big city to get over her loss and met my husband's father. The rest is history...... Your mother worked real hard when she was just a child The stories that she tells are very seldom wild She has tended, cleaned and scrubbed in many other homes And all of this she did then cleaning up her own Sometimes she'd get to do a thing she really liked With pride you cannot miss she tells of rides by bike Along the country roads up hill and down through dale The climbs and length of which would tend to make us pale Beyond the road the swimming hole her summer place So it chilled the bones those memories retrace I've felt the water, clear, cold lightly colored blue I do not doubt her body turned that color, too She met and loved and lost both in swift occasion Her grief was strong and it rent her whole persuasion First school then work at Pan Am Communications That's where we began our very first flirtations Through a Dutch door it was I'd see her smiling face We fell in love and wed our lives you now embrace Then Mom swelled with more than pride Robin was alive Lots of care and loving there soon the count was five Its been great and lots of fun lots of trouble too Here she is please love her, do Everlastingly your husband she's everything to you
aaw@pyuxss.UUCP (Aaron Werman) (12/20/83)
Sheryl, from Brooklyn, Sacrificed your first To Abe. You tried sterno, And I Drano. You tried fire, And I ashes. Social virtues are for the Socially virtuous What's left for you and I? Dreams hold us together (can't you dream of me?) Your next is yours, Will you abet life? Aaron {allegra|harpo|ihnp4|pyuxi|zeppo}!pyuxss!aaw