I Love this poem

NO GREAT TALENT

"I don't have any talent." You have cer­tainly heard those words. You
may have even said them yourself! And quite possibly, if you looked
closely enough, you might discover that you are wrong.

Mary Frye enjoyed writing poetry. She wasn't interested in publishing
her poems, and occa­sionally she passed one on to a friend who could
use a lift. "I don't figure I have any great talent," the Bal­timore,
Maryland home­maker said. But many people would disagree.
One of her poems, especially, has given hope and comfort to people who
mourn for over 50 years.

When a friend of hers lost someone close, Mary Frye jotted down a
poem, which seemed to spring from her heart, and gave it to the
grieving woman. That poem was later passed on to others, who, in turn,
passed it on until it became an Ameri­can classic. "If it helps one
person through a hard time, I am amply paid," said Mary, who has
re­ceived no remuneration for her un­copy­righted work. It has been
used in countless fu­nerals, translated and used in foreign lands and
even incorporated into television drama.

Here is her original text, which has moved so many for so long:

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room,
I am the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

How many people are finding strength and sol­ace from a verse jotted
by a woman who always pro­fessed she had no talent? And what if she
had kept her poetry to herself? Don't be afraid to use the tal­ents
you do possess, it has been well ad­vised. The woods would be very
silent if only the birds with the sweetest songs were heard.

-- Steve Goodier

I've loved the above poem ever since I first read it. It expresses my Spiritual beliefs in such a beautiful way. It is one of the poems I plan to have read at my Memorial Service on day. LOL, how controlling is that, to plan ones own Memorial Service. I haven't planned it out yet, but I will do so one day. Why? For one thing, so it will be less work for my executor/executrix to do... and because that person will likely be a family member and none of them really know ME. If there's to be a service for friends and family to say their goodbyes to me (it is always for the ones left behind) then I want it to be based on my beliefs and done in my Spiritual Centre, not on their beliefs and in their church that I don't go to when alive. So yes, one day I will plan my own Memorial Service... one day, but not yet. I am too busy living to plan my death yet.