Father

Father! Through life I've given back to You many of those I loved
One by one, sometimes the elders, sometimes the young, they returned home
Leaving behind a silence I still cannot bear
Flowers You moved from one garden to another, leaving only emptiness and
Loneliness in their place
Tonight I beg for them, all who crossed the veil of incarnation, that You bless
And guard them, so they may find peace and serenity in the spiritual realm

Many of them, Lord, with hearts so pure
Fell through sickness, incurable pain
Their strength consumed until the end of breath
Yet they left us courage, faith that never broke

Others, Lord, betrayed by despair
Crushed by the trials they could not endure
They chose the fall, by drugs or their own hand, now bearing debts that drag them deeper down

Gone from flesh, yet never gone from me
Their voices echo, their shadows bleed
Through death's cold veil, love still remains
I call their names, they feel my flame

Others, Father, in youth's burning fire
Left behind the bonds of heavy chains
Ascending free like birds into the light
To rest above, to rise again

And some, Lord, laid their burden down
Task fulfilled, their journey crowned
Walking paths of light and truth
Their work eternal, their victory proof

They meant so much, they still mean more
To some I whispered I love you
To others, silence closed the door
Yet love survives the grave, death cannot erase

Gone from flesh, yet never gone from me
Their voices echo, their shadows bleed
Through death's cold veil, love still remains
I call their names, they feel my flame

Gone from flesh, yet never gone from me
Their voices echo, their shadows bleed
Through death's cold veil, love still remains
I call their names, they feel my flame

Final
May they know, wherever they are
They're not forgotten, they're not alone
They live in my heart, in my soul, forever
So be it