Thomas Jacob Powell June 20, 1920 - July 27, 2010
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Afterglow

I'd like the memory of me
to be a happy one,
I'd like to leave an afterglow
of smiles when life is done.
I'd like to leave an echo
whispering softly down the ways,
of happy times and laughing times
and bright and sunny days.
I'd like the tears, of those who
grieve, to dry before the sun
of happy memories that I leave
when life is done.
Your life was love and labor,
Your love for your family true,
You did your best for all of us,
We will always remember you.

Author Unknown

To Laugh

To laugh often and much; to win the
respect of intelligent people and the affection
of children; to earn the appreciation of honest
critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a
healthy child, a garden patch, or redeemed social
condition; to know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived. This is to have
succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson