Fathers' Day, 2008 (A Hand Will Clasp a Hand Outstretched.)

Bottomless: this gaping wound,
this dense, oppressive grief may seem,
and yet, our weeping, ravaged souls
arise to face another dawn

Hard-earned homes are carried off
by raging floods and burning brush,
and yet, survivors re-unite,
determined to rebuild.

Awful, frenzied winds have churned
and carried off our brave young men,
and yet, we pause to celebrate
their honor when the winds are calm.

Bottomless, the gaping wound,
and bottomless the depth of hope;
Limitless the fog of grief,
And limitless the brave resolve -

But only when and only where
a hand will clasp a hand outstretched:
for only then and only there
does life endure, and life increase.

My Dad has been in Heaven for many years.
My Wife's Dad has been in Heaven for a little more than
nine months.
They still clasp our outstretched hands,
and thus do we always trust and hope.
God bless all Good Fathers,
in Heaven and on Earth,
today and every day.