My Father

He was a mechanic by trade
You could tell by the lines
Calluses and cuts on his hands
Were a definite sign
He came into this world
He didn’t require much
But he lived his life hardworking
With honesty integrity and such
Over thirty years of marriage
A man of family and pride
A man never faltering
Never having cried
And then one cold winter day
As I stood with this man so sad
I watched as his world was collapsing
This man- who was my dad
He stood by a bedside
Trying not to feel
Holding back tears and anger
Hoping to conceal
His wife lay there dying
Death close at the door
And two lives so connected
So much love at the core
He reached out and he touched her
Her look was that of fear
Because she didn’t want to leave him
After all of those years
I hugged him so tight
I didn’t know what to say
For that moment in time
I became the parent
And he the child that day
Mom screamed aloud
And I could see dad gasp
And our hands held tighter
In the tightest of clasp
The angel of death
Entered into mom’s eyes
And dad never got a chance
To even say goodbye
The next day him and I
We stood beside her grave
Listening to the message
Of the minister that day
Six months later
We laid dad to rest
Right beside mom
True love at its best
The marker bears their names
Carved deeply in stone
And they remain with me
I am never alone
And at the end
A lesson was taught
Love became the answer
With it- eternity bought
With an angel there watching
Mom taught dad how to cry
And Dad gave mom his strength
The courage to die
God yields each of us a plan
For every thing there is a reason
And as written in the Bible
To every thing a time and a season
Faith will not just move mountains
It plays a far greater part
It binds us to God
And heals every heart!