A Prayer Acrostic

                              Pray without ceasing, press on towards the goal
                    in Reverence to God, He cares for your soul
 Believe he will Answer the desires of your heart
                        Yearn to be closer, never to part
                        Expect Him to answer your prayers in His time
                  and Rest in Him always, He grants peace sublime.


- T. Deffely 
01 February 2010

The Epitaph

I was a Junior in High School in 1983 when our English teacher gave us an assignment to write our own epitaph.  As usual, it wasn't until the last possible minute that I got the inspiration to write mine.  I was pretty sure I did not truly satisfy the requirements of the assignment, but it was done and after I turned it in, I waited, dreading how bad my grade was going to be.  As it turns out, I received an A+ on it, which was mildly amusing to me given the fact that it wrote itself in about 15 minutes or so as I recall.  Since a good share of it is about music, I gave it to Mom to read who laughed so hard I thought she was going to fall over.  Now, I'm convinced it is not that funny and it is generally not my nature to talk about myself like this.  But since it was me who was supposed to be dead and therefore in need of an epitaph, it kind of needed to be about me.  Anyway, it is amusing enough that I would get a pretty good laugh if I were wandering around a cemetery and saw something like this on a grave marker.  On the other hand, I can't imagine the bill for putting something like this on a stone.  The reference to four-part harmony alludes to the fact that Mom, Val, Mel, and I all played together quite a bit which required Mom to arrange music for three trombones and one trumpet.  Not to mention the fact that Mom was definitely the most talented player out of all of us.  In addition, it is a great stretch of the definition of "play" when I wrote that I could play the piano.  The rest of it is true though.  After all, one shouldn't be lying on their epitaph.  If you do, the relatives, you know which ones, are going to rat you out and whether or not you are dead is going to be inconsequential to them.  But, I've digressed. The truth is, I probably joke around too much and I often laugh at things that weren't meant to be funny.  Oops.  That hasn't changed much in the 36 years since I wrote this.  My kids can testify to the fact that they have heard me say, "I can't stop laughing" almost as often as I have told them that I love them.  When I was younger I used to ponder the phrase "die laughing".  I used to wonder if it was possible to actually die laughing and somewhere along the line, I decided it wouldn't be a bad way to go. Without further delay, I offer "The Epitaph".

The Epitaph
(for Junior English)

Here lies the body of TMB,
I was the best of a four-part harmony.
Wherever I went people would say,
"Have you ever heard her play?"
I'd play my trumpet day and night,
playing practically every note right.
And though it was awesome
of course it was true,
that I could play the piano too.
Even while some said
it was only a rumor
most people knew it was true,
that I had a great sense of humor,
always good for a joke or two.
One day, I told a hilarious joke,
I laughed so hard I began to choke.
I never told another after that,
and that's why I needed this epitaph.
-T. Bloomer
19 December 1983

Grandpa's Legacy

Grandpa's Legacy

There is a place that Grandpa built

not made with bricks or stone.

It is a place he taught us about

that we could call our home.

From Grandpa's big, black Bible

came the story of a Man

who would build for us a Heavenly home

if we would follow His plan.

It didn't matter where we were

if we were far or near

the legacy that Grandpa left

made one thing very clear.

If we loved Jesus 

and followed His way,

He'd take us to Heaven 

to live with Him each day.

Grandpa lived his life this way

and prayed for his family everyday.

When he got sick his faith never failed

He told us Jesus' will would prevail.

Though he's left and gone home for now,

Grandpa's legacy still lives on

in the hearts of his family

the old and the young

for Grandpa was faithful to God's Son.

So know this today

that sorrow's ok.

It's part of God's plan too

and if we live the faith that Grandpa did

Christ's message will shine through.

And someday when we are walking

down the path Christ leads us on,

one day He'll call us to the home that lives

within the hearts of all God's kids.

The one not made from brick or stone

but of divine promises fulfilled

pledged to us from God's Son

which conveys the victory that Grandpa found.

Jesus promised if we love Him

someday He'll take us home

and if you live your life like Grandpa did

someday you'll see God's Son.

-T. Bent

06 June 1998