Who He Was
Though he never had children of his own,
He was a second father to many.
Though he was an only child,
He was an uncle to his friends children.
Though his family had died,
He was family to his friends.
Though he had no siblings,
He was our dear brother.
He was a man who loved children,
A father to the fatherless.
He was a friend who could be trusted,
A friend who was closer than a brother.
How He Gave
Though he was not rich,
He was rich toward others.
Though he had very little,
He gave very much.
Though he could not forgive himself,
He graciously forgave others.
Though he worked long an hard,
He found time to be with and build into others.
He was a generous man,
Who gave to those in need.
He was a coach and a shepherd,
Who cared deeply for his team and his flock.
How He Died
He died of a disease
Of depression and paranoia,
A mental disease just as deadly as cancer
And just as painful as a bullet wound.
He tried once with pills
And crashed his car.
He went to the hospital
Where we thought he would get well.
But his fear was too much.
He returned to my house to stay
And took all the pills
Intended to make him well.
Another friend found him
Shaking and forming at the mouth.
He was rushed to the hospital
But it was too late. Death had sealed his fate.
Where He Is
Though suicide is a selfish sin
Which hurt us all very much,
The penalty was paid for all sin.
Suicide in no way negates salvation.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither present nor future, not any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
My friend has received an eternal reward
For all the service his had done for others.
I know he's heard the words that all who love and serve Jesus will hear someday,
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
His Legacy
Children he once loved and served
Are now loving and serving other children
Those he loved and mentored
Are now serving and mentoring others.
Friends of his who knew each other only by name
Have become friends in his absence
We have lost a friend, a brother, an uncle and a father
But we have gained friends, brothers, uncles and fathers.
He leaves a legacy of lives loved
Who now love in his stead.
We move on with our lives and live
By his example of love and service to others.
Author notes
This is now the third poem I've written about my friend's death. I think the other poems were better written and more poetic. This one is more detailed and tells the story more completely. Much of the material is taken from my eulogy.
My friend and I served together at my church in a ministry to help children of divorce or maritial breakdown. He was my mentor as well as my friend. I could trust him with my darkest secrets. I tried very hard, as did many of his friend, to save him and help him, but we failed.
Written July 30th, 2005
In a list
A contest entry
- Decisive Action. by Blank Page.
400 points, ended August 12, 2005, 7 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
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excellent~
I am so glad you poste this to me you are stil grieving his loss
He helped others but couldn't helf himself & I do find this sad...
God loves us all I think even for those who commit suicide...and I think this was a beautiful eulogy you gave
It says time heals all sorrow...just give it more time....the one think it can't take is your memories and be glad you had good times together...for no one can replace that
Love n hugs
Susan~~~
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Congratulations, melphleg! Well done!
Maureen
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7.5 out of 10
Now that was gracious ...absoluetly beautiful ...well thought out....lots of meaning embedded in it ...it touched and you showed the side which I have never seen ...it was not good ...neither was it bad but it was surely optimistic ...I wish you the best ...excellent... -
Very sorry you lost your friend and mentor because of his lost battle with depression and paranoia. It's so sad that someone who helped so many others couldn't help himself. Like you, I don't think that those who commit suicide are punished for it. God's love is for everyone, especially for those who need it the most.
Maureen
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