In Memory of Daniel Beiler

I wrote this poem for Dutch to read to Daniel's family before the funeral yesterday~

It's a new day for Daniel

The breaking of a new dawn

The sun is brightly shining

The clouds are now all gone

He has seen the face of Jesus

His Savior and his King

He is walking on the streets of gold

He can hear the angels sing

His little legs now take big strides

Bet he's grown a foot or two

And since his life on earth is over

He's a step ahead of you

Though Danny's earthly stature

Wasn't far from the ground

Today instead of looking up at you

Danny's looking down

He sees each and every one of you

Celebrating his life here today

If Danny could have some time to share

I think that he would say:

Don't mourn for me, don't cry

Life is too short to be down and out

Focus on the finish line

And what this life is really about

We have eternity to be together

Heavens splendor,words could never tell

Run the race set before you

Be strong, and finish well

My life on earth was short

But yours won't be much longer

Remember joy comes after mourning

And weakness makes you stronger.

So don't mourn for me, don't cry

There is much work to do

Take time to live, to laugh, to love

Forgive those have mistreated you.

Make the most of every day

Walk through the open door

And when you cross the river

I'll be waiting on the shore. RFF/11



Three Generations of...

...duck hunters!! Like father, like son!! The smiles on their faces as they were heading out the door in the early morning, the excitement Madison had the night before & the satified look on the their faces as they docked the canoe after the hunt~ priceless. Three generations of hunters- what can I say?? There are times when I wish Dutch wouldn't like to hunt, & I wonder why he gets excited about spending time in the woods, BUT when I watched Madison get excited about going out with his dad and grandpa, I thought to myself "there really is something that comes to life in a boy when he is pursuing something". Men were made to pursue, to go after. Not every man hunts, but I think every man pursues something~ dreams, business, a wife, just to name a few. They are warriors, made to conquer. They are so very different from us women, but different is good. And I am realizing how this nature is in them from birth, because Madison spends a lot of time with his sisters, but he is naturally very different from them. I didn't raise him different, he's just geared that way. So I decided it's no use I try to change Dutch & Madison, I'm going to try to ENJOY it with them.

So I will listen to their stories, I will show interest, I might even get up close & touch the dead animal, BUT I will not cook all their wild game that they bag. I just can't seem to get that wild stuff to cook up nice and soft. Now venison I can handle, but goose, duck & turkey, cooking that stuff is for the birds. Pun intended!! So you can see I have my boundaries, my limits!!

But seriously, it was a pleasure to watch Madison hang out with his dad, grandpa & his dog. Three generations sharing a common thread, there's just something special about that!