"I'll lend you for a little time
A child of mine," He said,
"For you to love the while he lives
And mourn for when he is dead.
"It may be six or seven years,
Or twenty-two or three;
But will you, 'til I call him back
Take care of him for me?
"He'll bring his charms to gladden you
And shall his stay be brief,
You'll have his lovely memories
As solace for your grief.
"I cannot promise he will stay,
Since all from earth return;
But there are lessons taught down there
I want this child to learn.
"I've looked the wide world over
In search for teachers true,
And from the throngs that crowd life's lanes
I have selected you.
"Now will you give him all your love
Nor think the labor vain;
Nor hate Me when I come to call
And take him back again?"
I fancied that I heard them say,
"Dear Lord, Thy Will be done!
For all the joy Thy child shall bring,
The risk of grief we'll run.
"We'll shelter him with tenderness,
We'll love him while we may,
And for the happiness we've known
Forever grateful stay.
"But shall the Angels call for him
Much sooner then we've planned,
We'll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to understand."
written by Edgar Albert Guest.
The Other Land
It is not far away,
The place to which they go--
It is just beyond the starlit skies;
It is where the moonbeams grow.
And night is day and day is night
And sorrow comes no more,
Where love abides beyond the tides
Upon a golden shore.
And we must wait here for awhile -
Until it's time to go.
Although we carry on, we mourn,
Because we miss them so;
And through the years, God dries our tears...
He said, "My Peace I Give."
And for each hour we have the power,
Because our Savior lives.
Author Unknown
