Don't grieve for me now I'm free.
I'm following the path God laid for me.
I took his hand when I heard him call.
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
I’ve found that peace at close of day.
If my parting has left a void.
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A Friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
Ah yes, these things I too will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow.
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full; I’ve savored much.
Good friends, good times, a loved ones touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief.
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your hearts and share with me.
God wanted me now; he set me free.
Ernie,
We may not have always called you dad but in our hearts you will always be our dad. When we talk about you to our friends we always say “My Dad”. You may not have given us life but you gave us lives. If it weren’t for you we don’t know where we’d be, we can only imagine where we would be. You were an angel sent from God to save us from a fate unknown. I remember when mom first started dating you and you would take us out for ice cream, I would get watermelon and Lee would get bubblegum and Lori would get chocolate which made her sick every time she ate it. I remember going to one of your softball games, to the drive in movies. Most guys didn't want to have 3 little "tag alongs" but you made us feel welcome and did until the day you went to heaven, you treated us like no one else did, took the time to get to know each of us. I felt so proud when you introduced us as your daughters. We will always miss you, you were the light when there was so much darkness.
When we first moved to North Dakota we were so unsure of what would happen, but you took us in and treated us like we were your own children, you taught us things that we will never forget, things that will stay with us forever. You taught us that there are good people in this world. You gave us memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives, even though at the time we weren't so sure it was the best, (Spending Christmas at the river, on the ice in a camper-very long story) Going fishing every summer, you took the time to show us how to bait our own hooks, cast and wait patiently for the fish to bite, how to take the fish off the hook. You are always there for us when we needed you, we could not have asked for a better dad. You can never be replaced. You are the best and we love you. You talked about heaven and how beautiful it is, lots of green grass and lots of water. You looked for the work islands and hopefully have found them. You could never sit still for more than two minutes. I now know that you are no longer in pain.
It's still hard to think of you not being here when we need you so much. I am constantly asking god why he took you away, but I guess he needed you more than we did. I can still feel your presence looking down on us. I see little things everyday that make me think of you, little birds flying up close, the sounds of their calls, a rose that's just starting to bloom. I hear a voice that sounds like yours and I turn around to see if it's you and realize that it's not you, that you're gone....
A Father Is....
A father isn't always the one who gave you life, a father is one who was there.
The one who was there when you had your first heartbreak.
The one who loved you with all his heart. Even on those days when we did things we knew we weren't supposed to.
A father is one who cares,
The one who walked you down the isle at your wedding.
The one who was there when the first grandchild was born and the last grandchild was born.
Copyright 2003 Sheila Johnson
WILL IT GET ANY EASIER? This crying we do
This sadness we feel
This missing you with all our hearts
Will it ever get any easier?
Looking at the calendar and watching the days come and go,
Getting closer to the day you were taken from us.
Screaming out to God
Asking why?
When you were still needed here,
On earth, with us.
If only you were here
To fix this mess our lives have become
If only things were still the same.
Will it ever get any easier?
Missing your smiles
Missing your jokes
Hearing your laugh
Doing the things you enjoyed so much
We see you in little things we do and see
Maybe as the years pass it will get easier
But for now it’s hard
We know you are watching us from up above
Watching us cry and pleading with us to not be sad.
We know you are happy and feel no pain, where you are now,
In the arms of God.
We Love You.
Copyright 2003 Sheila Johnson
~Ernie with his 1st granddaughter....she would only eat if Grandpa would feed her & only if he had the ketchup~ ~Ernie walking in the door~ ~Ernie walking me down the isle at my wedding on December 1st 1990~ ~A Picture of Ernie's Headstone~
