In memory of my dad, Camillus McElhinney (1933–2006)

They say you must go on, to live to survive,
but each day I struggle, to breathe I strive.
I picture his face so calm and serene
and know he is happy with who he has been
Where is he now, where did he go?
Does he live on in the wind and the snow?
Or is he is heaven with all of his kin,
I want to believe, because not to believe may be a sin.

When we would question our faith.
When we would ask why.
Why do we live and do we die?
With the greatest of dignity he would reply.
"Tis the circle of life, that we shall live on,
in the faces of our children, their children and so on."

So now when I look at my children
And gaze into their eyes
I see him smile back at me
And don't have to ask why.
So cherish each moment you have in your life,
For when your life's circle comes to an end,
You will be reunited with your loved ones in paradise.

Gerardine Tamburi 2008