Richard Lovelace

To Lucasta, going to the Wars

TELL me not, Sweet, I am unkind,
That from the nunnery
Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind
To war and arms I fly.
True, a new mistress now I chase,	5
The first foe in the field;
And with a stronger faith embrace
A sword, a horse, a shield.
Yet this inconstancy is such
As thou too shalt adore;	10
I could not love thee, Dear, so much,
Loved I not Honour more.

What Will Matter

What Will Matter

Ready or not, some day it will come to an end.
There will be no more sunrise, no minutes, hours, or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too your hopes, ambitions, plans and to do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It wont matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It wont matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built. Not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
Its not a matter of circumstances, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Vietnam M79 Sawed-off

Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

1. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
 and to take him at his word;
 just to rest upon his promise,
 and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."
Refrain:
 Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
 How I've proved him o'er and o'er!
 Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
 O for grace to trust him more!

2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
 just to trust his cleansing blood;
 and in simple faith to plunge me
 neath the healing, cleansing flood!
 (Refrain)

3. Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
 just from sin and self to cease;
 just from Jesus simply taking
 life and rest, and joy and peace.
 (Refrain)

4. I'm so glad I learned to trust thee,
 precious Jesus, Savior, friend;
 and I know that thou art with me,
 wilt be with me to the end.
 (Refrain)

Dire Straits - Why Worry

Baby I see this world has made you sad
Some people can be bad
The things they do, the things they say
But baby I'll wipe away those bitter tears
I'll chase away those restless fears
That turn your blue skies into grey

Why worry, there should be laughter after pain
There should be sunshine after rain
These things have always been the same
So why worry now

Baby when I get down I turn to you
And you make sense of what I do
I know it isn't hard to say
But baby just when this world seems mean and cold
Our love comes shining red and gold
And all the rest is by the way

Why worry, there should be laughter after pain
There should be sunshine after rain
These things have always been the same
So why worry now

'IF' by Rudyard Kipling

A Poem I Love

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!