By Tod Christensen
For as long as I can remember the voice was always with me
It seemed so natural, just another part of life that I couldn’t see
It may have been with me right from the beginning, right from the start
I had no idea where it came from, but it seemed to be a part of my very own heart.
I was a small child and I remember the laughing and all the love
The kiss of my dog and the floating of the butterflies above
That was the first time I actually heard the voice speak to me so soft and polite
It told me that everything was fine, and I was safe and loved when I fell asleep that night.
As I grew, I wouldn’t hear the voice very often, sometimes not at all
But the second I was in danger or worried somehow that voice would speak and I didn’t feel as small.
I grew and I grew and I matured more every day
And the voice would sometimes say something but mostly stayed away
But when something bad would happen the voice was always there
Somehow convincing me that this tragedy was something I could bear.
The night my brother died the voice told be that everything would be all right
It told me not to waste time with the past but with the present to hold on tight.
It never stopped me from grieving or being sad
But it did help me to move on and remember all the good times we had had.
When I got off track and started doing things I knew I shouldn’t do
The voice would remind me that I had a purpose in this life for which I had to be true.
So I went through this life and did the best that I could
And every chance I got I tried to help others and tried to be good
Toward the end of my journey I began to get tired
I had a long and happy life the kind of life anyone would desire.
I was surrounded by my family and was on my own death bed
Instead of being afraid I focused on the voice and what it said.
It told me that my life had meant something, that I had lived it well
And that I should have no regrets as I bid my final farewell.
I wasn’t scared but I was a bit sad to go
With my children surrounding me they had to know
That my adventures were ending and in this world I would never again roam
And that’s when the voice whispered to me that it was time to go home.
