Footprints Revisited
This poem is proof that I was indeed listening, at least one day anyway, to our priest when he was giving his sermon at church one Sunday. The basic theme of his sermon was that most of us only prayed in time of need, seldom praying when things were good in our lives. Those thoughts stuck in my head, and weeks later I happened to come across the original "Footprints" poem, so I read it to refresh my memory of its contents. That is how this poem came to life. In the original, a man comes to realize that Jesus was indeed there for him in his times of need. In revisiting this poem, I tried to show that I knew Jesus was there for me in times of need, but my regret was in not acknowledging his presence by my side during times of joy. When I gave a framed copy of this poem to my priest, he was surpised to receive it. I still think some of that surprise was from realizing that his own words had been instrumental in the creation this poem.
Timeless Love
When I first wrote this poem it was quite different from this version. It originally dealt with people near death and how desparate they were for time that had passed them by. When my Uncle passed away, the last time I had seen him was at a lovely resort on the lake, where family and friends had stayed for the week, while attending my father's funeral. None of us knew that would be the last time many of us would see my uncle, not knowing that he too would pass away a short time later. That week became so special to me and countless others because of the time we were able to spend with so many other family members and loved ones, that is why I changed this poem to reflect and celebrate each and every day that a loved one is still in your life. It was the death of my father and uncle that made me realize how important a hug and a kind word can be, never knowing if it will be your last chance to let a loved one know how you feel.