Over the Miles

I am not alone when we are apart
for you have given me such love and hope
that I can feel the emotion flowing from you
even when you're far away.

I know that the miles between us can seem
like obstacles, but they're just distance.
They neither quench the fire, nor dim the light
that burns in my soul for your return.

Our every thought transcends the gulf
of time and space between two loves such as we.
Two hearts beating in time cannot be stilled
just because they are not together.

I am sure that your return will be as sweet
as our first reuniting many years ago.
We were but learning to love then, not sure of
tomorrow's promise, but willing to chance today.

I do not take tomorrow for granted, but can look
forward to spending my life with you.
And though we've spent these days apart, I know
we'll live to spend many more in each other's embrace.

Let me savour the knowledge that over the miles
another heart beats in time with mine.
It's a comfort to know that though I'm alone,
I'll always have your company.

For you are with me wherever I go, no matter
where you are. You are in my heart ...
You are in my soul ... and in every breath I take.
And you will remain there forever

There are many in this world who cannot perceive
the wonder of life around them. They look and see,
but do not understand how precious it all is.
They let the days go by and never touch their own potential.

If they were blinded, they would miss the majesty
of a summer sunset - or the dancing of the Northern Lights.
If they were infirm, they might never again feel
the giddy delight of looking over a precipice into the canyon below.

Yet hale and hearty, they take for granted so much
of what makes our very existence a miracle.
We must guard ourselves against the danger of
falling into that morass.

Welcome each new day as if it were a special gift
from God which will never be yours to enjoy again.
Savour the beauty around you while it happens,
because it may not be there tomorrow.

Treasure the company of friends and family as if
it were your last day on earth. Let them know each
day how much they mean to you
and how much they enrich your life.

Remember that you are one of God's most glorious creations
and among all others on earth, you have the power
to shape your destiny. Your acts each day determine
your future. Make them fully worthy of your potential.

But most of all, never squander a day of your time on earth.
For each day that is given to you is a privilege, not to take lightly,
but to do something meaningful with. Make it your daily pledge to
understand the wonders around you and to be one of them yourself.

A wasted day in one in which
nothing new is learned,
nothing's ventured, nothing's gained
and stones are left unturned.

And how are we to reconcile
a day we can't regain?
Unfocused efforts, time ill-spent
and hours spent in vain.

Can we afford to lose so much
as one more precious day?
Before we stop and realize
that we ourselves betray ...

some distant and beloved dream
we've kept within our souls.
We must go forward every day
and strive to reach our goals.

Beyond our reaching cherished hopes
it is important to
make every day advance towards
a brighter, better you.

They may be small, the steps you take
and smaller still appear.
But step by step you learn to face
each fundamental fear.

And when the number of your days
become a dwindling few.
Take heart that you have made them count
and did all you could do.

Lord, you have created a world so vast ... so diverse.
By your will you have granted me an opportunity to see another corner of it.
Let this visit make me a better person for the new experiences I will have.

Help me to understand that all people are your children,
not just the ones who look and act like me.
Teach me that we all have the right to live and seek our hearts' desires
and that we must each determine our own ways to find them.

Show me the wonders of nature which you have wrought
and lead me to the realization that we share this planet with all your creatures.
Give me the wisdom to know that we are your caretakers on earth
and that it is our responsibility to pass it to our children in good repair.

Help me be considerate of those who travel with me.
For they are on the same quest for learning as I am.
Let us enjoy and be unto each other a source of delight and learning.
For as much as we have to learn, we can also teach.

Remind me that I am a visitor in this place,
and that when I depart I will leave impressions of my own land.
Show me how to ensure that when they remember me here
they have good thoughts.

Let me most of all be grateful.
You ve not only given me this glimpse of a part of your magnificent paradise,
but you have placed me in a most wondrous corner of the world,
and surrounded me with friends and family to bring comfort and joy to my life.

Keep them safe Lord, until I can return to them.

Amen

This magic kingdom fills the soul
with such enchanted things,
like fabled tales of knights of old
and castles built by kings.

From verdant glens to mountain top
this land is wondrous fair.
The marvels seem to never stop.
There s magic in the air.

And as I wander far and wide
and share these sights with you,
from city s core to countryside,
there s nothing can outdo

the pleasant feeling in my heart
to know I m not alone.
No fantasies can take the part
of friendships I have known.

Where e er I go it seems to me,
this magic never ends.
For every place holds fantasy ...
surrounded by good friends.

Only you have the power to turn
every moment in your life into something great.
It is not for others to find
the meaning of your life, or your reason to be.

Only you can define what you will be.
For you choose every path to your own destiny.
How you get there may be simple
or strewn with obstacles, but you must choose the way.

Only you decide between the good and bad in life.
Know the consequences of your choices and strive
to be the best "you" that you can be
while helping others to be their own best as well.

Only you choose to make a difference in this world.
How we are remembered is often a matter of caring
about the fate of others around us
and that their burdens are lessened by the lives we lead.

Only you can see how your caring can change a life
and bring a friend some sense of warmth and joy
that comes when someone else cares enough
to put aside selfish thoughts and share another's troubles.

Only you can be a friend when it is needed most
and feel the need of someone else moreso than your own.
Because "only you" cannot survive
without other caring souls such as yourself.

Only you have the responsibility to ensure
that each act you make is just, fair and honest.
For in the end, when called to account
for your life's deeds, you will truly be ... only you.