If I could take a minute of any span of time.
I'd never waste a second of the pleasures that were mine.
If he could crawl upon my knee and lay his sleepy head,
upon my shoulder tenderly and dream of gingerbread.

I'd spend my time in total bliss and watch my small son grow,
from babyhood to childhood, knowing all there is to know.
If I could stop my aching heart and put my mind asleep,
If I could stop the flow of tears that are always on my cheek.

I only need a minute, Lord, I know he's safe with you.
But there's something real important that I had no time to do.
If you could do it for me, Lord here's a message he should know,
Tell him that I Love Him, then I'll let him go.

Your A Special Little Spirit
"Your a Special Little Spirit," the all great Master said,
As he gently caressed the curly blond hair of the Little Spirit's head.
"You need to go to Earth to spend some time, you know,
A place I send most Spirits to be tested, to learn, and grow."
The Little Spirit, in sadness, slowly bowed her head,
And from her eye a tear did steal and down her cheek it shed.
"Don't you fret now Little one, I won't let you stay to long,
I'll bring you back to help me here,
You'll hardly know that you've been gone.
Your my choicest Little Spirit, your the apple of my eye."
And he wiped the tear and gently kissed His Little Spirit good-bye.
"I'm back," the Little Spirit whispered, as she climbed onto her Master's knee,
And the Master said, "I told you, you would not be long away from me."
And then, the Lord, He noticed still another tear welled on her eye.
"Why are you so sad Little Spirit, whatever should make you cry?"
"I'm glad I'm back," the Little Spirit said, "but Master you must surely know, When your Angel came to get me, I didn't want to go.
I know You said You needed me, and that I'd be gone the shortest while,
But Lord, couldn't I have had a little longer earthly trial?"
The Master let the Little Spirit slip down off His knee,
he firmly took the little hand and said, "Come walk with Me."
The Little Spirit and the Lord slowly walked hand in hand,
As the Master explained her special part in the great and marvelous plan.
"Now Lord I don't mean to argue, I understand that you needed me home.
But I left in such a hurry, I left everyone hurting and so alone.
I didn't let my earthly parents know how much I Loved them so.
I was to small to tell Lord, how will they ever know?
They feel they've been cheated, and in a way, so do I.
Not getting to share any more than we did, how can I ever tell them why?"
Little Spirit, I know your heart is heavy with message you need to share.
But you need not worry anymore, I'll watch over your loved ones there.
I'll send them loving comfort as a strong and helping hand.
I'll contend and give peace to their aching hearts, so they will understand."
The Little Spirit looked up at her Master and said "Thank You for explaining it to me.
And could you please tell them that I'm safe and happy, And that someday they'll be here with me?"
"Yes," said the Lord with a smile and a nod, I'll tell them all that I can.
Then the others came to see the Little Spirit, as the Lord let go of her hand.
He said, "I'll tell them you're pure, as pure as Heaven's Gold,
That I needed the warmth of your perfect soul to keep Heaven from getting cold."

Death of a Child
Sorry I didn't get to stay.
To laugh and run and play.
To be there by your side.
I'm sorry that I had to die.

God sent me down to be with you,
to make your loving heart anew.
To help you look up and see
Both God and little me.

Mommy, I wish I could stay.
Just like I heard you pray.
But, all the angels did cry
when they told little me goodbye.

God didn't take me cause He's mad.
He didn't send me to make you sad.
But to give us both a chance to be
a love so precious .. don't you see?

Up here no trouble do I see
and the pretty angels sing to me.
The streets of gold is where I play
you'll come here too, mommy, someday.

Until the day you join me here,
I'll love you mommy, dear.
Each breeze you feel and see,
brings love and a kiss from me.

My Son...My Angel
You never said "I'm leaving"
You never said goodbye
You were gone before I knew it,
And only God knew why
A million times I needed you,
A million times I cried
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died
In life I loved you dearly
In death I love you still
In my heart you hold a place,
That no one could ever fill
It broke my heart to lose you,
But you didn't go alone
For part of me went with you,
The day God took you home.

What Makes A Mother
I thought of you and closed my eyes and prayed to God today.
I asked what makes a mother, and I know I heard him say.
A mother has a baby, this we know is true
But God, can you be a Mother when your baby's not with you?
Yes, you can He replied, with confidence in His voice.
I give many women babies, when they leave is not their choice.
Some I send for a lifetime, and others for the day.
And some I send to feel your womb, but there's no need to stay.
I just don't understand this God, I want my baby here.
He took a breath and cleared His throat, and then I saw a tear.
I wish I could show you what you child is doing today.
If you could see your child smile, with other children and say...

We go to earth to learn our lessons, of love and life and fear
My mommy loved me oh so much, I got to come straight here.
I feel so lucky to have a mom, who had to much love for me
I learned my lessons very quickly, My mommy set me free.
I miss my mommy oh so much, but I visit her each day
When she goes to sleep, on her pillow's where I lay.
I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek, and whisper in her ear
"Mommy don't be sad today, I'm your baby and I'm here."

So you see my dear sweet one, your children are ok
Your babies are here in My home, and this is where they'll stay.
They'll wait for you with Me, until your lessons through
And on the day that you come home, they'll be at the gates for you.
So now you see, what makes a Mother, it's the feeling in your heart
It's the love you had so much of, Right from the very start.
Though some of earth may not realize until their time is done
Remember all the love you have, and know that you are a
Special Mom!

Why
As I look up into the beautiful sky
I can only ask myself one more time--why
Of course people tell me it was your time
But they don't know what it's like to pretend to be fine
To live each day with the hurt and pain
From deep inside you don't know where it came
They don't know how it feels to have to live
Without the child who had so much to give
To go on and on and never know why
I can't understand no matter how hard I try
I try to be patient and not get mad
But of course I'll always be sad
There is such a void and emptiness inside
You can't imagine how much I've cried
And I know if I really knew why you had to leave
You still wouldn't be here and I'd still be bereaved

Little Angels
When God calls little Angels to dwell with Him above
We mortals sometime question the wisdom of His love,
For no heartache compares with the death of one small child,
Who does so much to make our world seem wonderful and mild.

Perhaps God tires of calling the aged to his fold.
So he picks a rose bud, before it can grow old.
God knows how much we need them, and so He takes but a few,
To make the land of Heaven more beautiful to view.

Believing this is difficult, still somehow we must try.
The saddest word mankind knows, will always be "goodbye".
So when a little child departs, we who are left behind
Must realize God loves children & angels are hard to find.

On Angels Wings
I don't know why the angels came,
And decided to take you away.
They must have needed someone very special,
When they carried you on their wings that day.

I wondered how they could take you from me,
And leave me here on my own.
Then I realised your love would live on inside me,
So in my heart, I would never be alone.

God must have had a greater purpose for you,
When He decided your time on earth was done.
He must have wanted you for a heavenly angel,
So you would be able to watch over everyone.

The angels told Him you were so very special,
And could make the world a greater place to live.
So with wings full of love, they took you to Heaven,
And now everyone can feel all the love you have to give.

©Pamela Hall

The Grave No One Tended
The day was lovely as I strolled along
peering at stones on the way,
And that's when I saw it, that pitiful cross
that looked spintered and faded away.
With flowers in hand to tend Father's grave,
I knew I must hurry along.
But I couldn't help but linger awhile
at that cross that just didn't belong.

The date of the front confirmed my suspicions
of what already I knew.
A child lay beneath that horrible cross
and its faded color of blue.

What selfish parents they must have been
to bury their child all alone,
Without flowers or candles to light the night
and not even a simple headstone

I looked even closer at that awful cross
that was nearly splintered away,
And their on the back, I read the words
that changed me forever that day.

"This cross isn't grand, but it was carved by my hands
so you'll know son how much I care.
It's the color of blue to remind me of you
and how painful it is I'm not there,
That it's you who is gone and it's me living on
while your young life has come to an end.
And I'm left alone, never again with a home
and a grave that's too painful to tend."

Tears stung my eyes as I looked all around
at the monuments that ragged cross put to shame.
And I shared with those parents their horrible loss
that brought them such terrible pain.

And all the tombstones, some even taller than me.
suddenly seemed small in a way,
Next to that little handmade cross, carved with such love
and the flowers I planted that day.

by Cheryl L. Costello-Forshey

A Letter From Heaven

To those we love,

Since we parted, you have been sharing so much of us with those
around you. The memories are so fresh and real. You hold on to
us so tightly in your hearts - where we shall always be.

Your concern has always been for us, but we wonder how you are
doing. You will never know all of the prayers that have been prayed
for you, the tears that have been shed over your grief and the concern
that has been shown for you in a multitude of ways, but we find it
so comforting to know you haven't been left alone.

Please know that we are not alone, either. The death that hurt you
the most has given me the gift of eternal life. God's promises have
been fulfilled in us. When we left you, God was there, waiting, just
as He promised. We're surrounded by perfect love. Never let anyone
tell you God doesn't exist. If you need to be mad at Him for awhile,
that's okay; He can handle it. But never let hate, anger or bitterness
fuel you emotions. Talk to Him and let him talk to you. Listen for
Him in the voices of the people who love and care about you, and
let His Word reassure you that we are doing just fine.

It is comforting to know that you hold us so close while struggling
with the prospect of letting us go. You need to know that we will
always be together. Eternity is not "out there," eternity is now! We
have simply moved a little farther ahead of you.

Remember that God never wastes anything - especially love. The
love that we shared on earth will be even greater in Heaven. For now,
you must rest assured that we are safe in God's perfect love. We would
like you to take some of the love you have for us and share it with
those around you. You can never run out of love - the more you give
away, the more you will have. And let others love you... you are
worth loving.

Life is forever. Ours has changed in the twinkling of an eye while
yours is changing day-by-day and minute-by-minute. Though your
lives will never be the same, that does not mean that they cannot
be filled with peace, joy and love. Always look to the future. Don't
be afraid of tomorrow - God's already there.

Be patient with yourselves. You will make some mistakes, and you
will even find yourselves not thinking about "us" from time to time.
That's all right too. All of our needs are being met; you need to take
care of you. Hold onto one another, help each other, give hope and
love to all you meet. Above all, be prepared to welcome others into
your world of grief and mourning. You are being taught valuable
lessons that will need to be passed along. Some will not have your
strength, many will not have your faith, and most will feel they are
all alone; but all will need the love and understanding only you will
be able to give. Now, your pain is the only credential you need to
minister to others. When you think of us, never think of us as being
alone. Think of us smiling, laughing and enjoying all that God has
prepared for us.

Finally, never believe you are alone. Do not focus on what you have
lost, but look always at what you have left. You are surrounded by
people who love you and care about you. Live with them, love with
them, share with them and laugh with them. Make every day a
celebration of life - a life that will never end. We will meet again,
and until we do, know that we are very proud of you for never giving
up. We love you.

by Jerry L. Kracl