STRAIGHT FROM MY HEART!!

My Sister A Friend

Sitting patiently in the shadow

Till the blessed light shall come-

A serene and saintly presence,

Sanctifies our troubled home.

Earthly joys and hopes and sorrows

Break like ripples on the strand,

Of the deep and solemn river;

Where her willing feet now stand.

Oh! My sister passing from me,

Out of human care and strife_

Leave me, as a gift those virtues;

Which beautified your life!

Dear, bequeath me that great patience,

Which has power to sustain,

A cheerful, uncomplaining spirit,

In its prison house of path.

Give me for I need it solely

Of that courage, wise and sweet

Which has made the path of duty

Green beneath your willing feet.

Give me that unselfish nature

That with charity divine,

Can pardon wrong for love's dear sake_

Meek heart forgives me.

Thus our parting daily lost

Something of its bitter pain,

And while learning this hard lesson,

My great loss becomes my gain.

For the touch of grief will render

My wild nature more serene,

Give life to new aspirations_

And new trust in the unseen.

Henceforth, safe across the river,

I shall see forever more,

A beloved household spirit,

Waiting for me on the shore.

Hope and faith, born of my sorrows

Guardian angels shall become

And the sister gone before me

Will come and shall lead me home.