Do what you need to do

Much of what I learned of lifeI learned from loving Dad. How to smile when things were hard. How to care for a stranger. How to be patient but firm, To be honest but kind.

I learned That you can have the wind knocked out of you, The world worked out of you, And still get back up, To do what you need to do.

I learned How to work hard. How to play hard. How to dream hard.

I learned How to laugh, Really hard.

I learned That heaven can be held in your hands. That friend and family are two words for the same thing. That God is present in the presence of others.

I learned That you cannot put time in a box. That our hours do not last very long. That you cannot dream your days away. There is no changing what was; There are no might-have-beens. It is what it is.

There never seems to be enough time To do the things That make a life worth living.

Do what you need to do.

Those things that make life worth living— goodness, love, joy, peace— Those are the things that real dreams are made of.

I learned That what you need to be—be it together. What you need to have—share it together. What you need to do—do it together.