Dad,

    We love you, we miss you,  and wish you were physically here, your kindness and patience will not find an equal.  If we, everyone of us, told, of every thought we have had for you there would never be enough room to contain the words.  We salute you sir.  We thank you, not just for giving us life, but for the sharing of your life with us.  We thank you for our hearing of your voice and our remembrance of the words.  We cherish the way you cherished a simple glass of water shared with a friend, or carried freshly picked wild flowers to the open arms of our mother, quietly expressing your love to her, and her reception of love between the both of you; it is for those things that we thank you and pray will live in every generation.
    We remember you said that you wanted to see your grandmother and your father, your mother, and that great cloud of witnesses that had gone on before you.  That you longed for their embrace.  It is we who now look to that great cloud of witnesses and long for their embrace.  And with that the knowledge you gave us that we need not overly concern ourselves with any earthly ruler or earthly kingdom for we are all created by One, but rather to be concerned with the kingdom of God that should reign in the hearts of all men.
    We remember your expression of the horror of war, and the cruelty of men toward men, and we wondered at your pain.  We saw in that the cherishing of all mankind and respect for their lives; and feared the heartlessness of the war that distressed you -- yet,  even so, you passed the torch that contains the light that shines forth in abundant respect for all life, and goodness toward all mankind.  And passed it to who?  To those who thank you forever and to any others who knew your heart.  To us . . .

Your Children
LeVelle
Louis
Eileen
Darleen
Arnold
Curtis
Jerry
Dawnita
Kevin
 

Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door

I know that I'm a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I'm a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I'm afraid that's all we've got

You say you just don't see it
He says it's perfect sense
You just can't get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It's the bitterness that lasts

So Don't yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don't give up, and don't give in
You may just be OK.

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye

I wasn't there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn't  get to tell him
All the things I had to say

I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo
In my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye