My friend's father passed away and I wanted to create a personal gift for him. He liked it so much I decided to share it with all of you.

Your Father… By Laura James



When parents have a child
They try so very hard
To teach them all they can
And keep them safe from harm

As the child grows
The parent is older too
But that goes unnoticed
With all there is to do

He wore his feeling on his sleeve
When issues weren’t in place
He thought he hid them well
But, you could see it on his face

Your father had a pleasant smile
And seemed so understanding
Still, he had firm opinions
And was sometimes too demanding

Work gave him satisfaction
He liked to teach and guide
And he was a volunteer
It filled him full of pride

Then one day you turned around
Someone else stood in his shoes
An older man, with graying hair
Who was often slow to move

Families have their ups and downs
With noise and shouts and screaming
He loved you then, he loves you still
But now you know his meaning

His generation was so different
Not often quick to praise
Still he was so proud of all of you
It simply was his way

When you had children of your own
You finally understood
How very hard it really was
To make the kids be good

On holiday when he retired
He shipped up a whole crate
Of pictures he had painted
That really turned out great

Then one day he fell ill
And your world seemed to change
As he lingered in his bed
Your lives were rearranged

He stayed there for a long while
Trying to recover
But it brought you all together
A gift unlike no other

Gathered with your family
You can look around and see
Just what your father left you
It’s called his legacy

And then he closed his eyes
To signal his release
Allowing one and all to know
That he’d finally found peace