Compassion by John Pitre
~*~
I am dying
And so are you
We each have our own expiration date
(It's true! It's stamped on tip of our elbows!)
Each one of us is a limited-TIME offer to the world
And time is our friendly reminder of our mortality
It reminds us to make the most of our days
To grow and bring our special gifts to others
As I ponder upon this fact of life and death
I ask myself
What is the most important thing I can do while I am here?
When my time ends and my candle flame goes out
What did it all mean? What was it all for?
What good was achieved?
What difference did my being make?
My conclusion, from my perspective,
Is that the most important thing I can do
Is to do what I can to help make life better for others,
and through them, better for our future generations
To give so that my being
Will live on in the happiness and well-being of others
If I can do this then I will not have lived in vain
And the world will know greater joy and less pain
~AOM
~*~
Not In Vain
by Emily Dickinson
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
~*~
I expect to pass through this world but once.
Any good, therefore, that I can do
or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature,
let me do it now.
Let me not defer or neglect it
for I shall not pass this way again.
~attributed to Etienne de Grellet (Quaker Missionary)
also William Penn, or an anonymous source
~*~
Since we know we are dying
Let us waste no more time crying
For us, the now Living
Let us Sing and Dance
And Celebrate this gift of Life
This is our time
The time of our lives
So let us make use of the remaining time we have
To do all the good that we can do through giving.
Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves
Making the world a better place for all the living
~AOM
