Brother Michael *

Brother Michael
How I miss you.
How I ache in memory
Of every day we
Shared together
And the love you gave to me.

You were, Michael
A devoted brother
Also a cherished friend
But time expired
And you left us.
Our time together came to end.

How I grieved you
Brother Michael
Yet steadfast in my heart.
How I loved you
Brother Michael
Every day since we did part.

But you left
The path before me
Every twist and narrow turn
From the point
Of your departure
The cool of night or noontime burn.

I took up the cross
That you lay down.
I accepted your unfinished task.
All these years
And decades later
I still do what Jesus asks.

Brother Michael
Please wait for me
Just inside inside the open gate.
I will see you
When death takes me.
I’ll not be one minute late.

* Michael was my very best friend all through high school.
He loved God, and was well beyond his years in devotion and
wisdom. He was not just a friend. He was a mentor, and a
brilliant teacher. Michael died a month before our graduation.
Before he died of inoperable cancer he challenged me to live
my life for the Lord. I've tried to be true to my promise.
His memory is still dear to me. I wish you could have known him.
Maybe one day I'll get to introduce you to him. The closer I get
to leaving here, the more defined the far shore seems.