EILEEN I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO BEGIN TO PUT INTO WORDS WHAT YOU HAVE MEANT TO ME AND THE HAPPINESS THAT YOU BROUGHT INTO MY LIFE. YOU AND LYNSEY CAME INTO MY WORLD AND CHANGED MY LIFE. YOU WERE MY SOUL MATE! YOU MADE ME A BETTER PERSON. GOD SENT YOU TO ME, NOW HE HAS TAKEN YOU AWAY. I PRAY THAT YOU WILL COME TO ME SOMEDAY, SOMEHOW AND LET ME KNOW THAT YOU HAVE MADE IT HOME TO THE LORD'S KINGDOM. I MISS YOUR BEAUTIFUL SMILE AND YOUR LOVING TOUCH! A DAY DOES NOT PASS THAT I DON'T THINK OF YOU AND PRAY TO GOD THAT YOU ARE WATCHING OVER US. IT IS SO VERY HARD TO BE HERE ON THIS EARTH WITHOUT YOU. DURING THE SERVICE YOUR BROTHER ED READ A POEM THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET. IT GOES LIKE THIS... I READ OF A REVEREND WHO STOOD TO SPEAK AT THE FUNERAL OF A FRIEND. HE REFERRED TO THE DATES ON HER TOMBSTONE FROM THE BEGINNING...TO THE END. HE NOTED THAT FIRST CAME THE DATE OF HER BIRTH AND SPOKE OF THE DATE WITH TEARS BUT HE SAID WHAT MATTERED MOST OF ALL WAS THE DASH BETWEEN THOSE YEARS. FOR THE DASH REPRESENTS ALL THE TIME THAT SHE SPENT ALIVE ON THE EARTH AND NOW ONLY THOSE WHO LOVED HER KNOW WHAT THAT LITTLE LINE IS WORTH. FOR IT MATTERS NOT HOW MUCH WE OWN THE CARS...THE HOUSE...THE CASH. WHAT MATTERS IS HOW WE SPEND OUR DASH. SO THINK ABOUT THIS LONG AND HARD... ARE THERE THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO CHANGE? FOR YOU NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH TIME IS LEFT THAT CAN STILL BE BE REARRANGED. IF WE COULD JUST SLOW DOWN ENOUGH TO CONSIDER WHAT'S TRUE AND REAL AND ALWAYS TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE WAY OTHER PEOPLE FEEL. AND BE LESS QUICK TO ANGER AND SHOW APPRECIATION MORE AND LOVE THE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES LIKE WE'VE NEVER LOVED BEFORE. IF WE TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT AND MORE OFTEN WEAR A SMILE REMEMBERING THAT THIS SPECIAL DASH MIGHT ONLY LAST A LITTLE WHILE. SO WHEN YOUR EULOGY IS BEING READ WITH YOUR LIFE'S ACTIONS TO REHASH WOULD YOU BE PROUD OF THE THINGS THAT THEY SAY ABOUT HOW YOU SPEND YOUR DASH? WRITTEN BY LINDA ELLIS. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW TRUE HAPPINESS UNTIL YOU HAVE TRUELY LOVED AND YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT PAIN REALLY IS UNTIL YOU HAVE LOST IT... UNKNOWN SINCE HEAVEN HAS BECOME YOUR HOME I SOMETIMES FEEL I'M SO ALONE; AND THOUGH WE NOW ARE FAR APART YOU HOLD A BIG PIECE OF MY HEART. I NEVER KNEW HOW MUCH I'D GRIEVE WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE, OR JUST HOW MUCH MY HEART WOULD ACHE FROM THAT ONE FRAGMENT YOU WOULD TAKE. GOD REMIND ME WE'LL MEET AGAIN, AND ONE DAY ALL THE PAIN WILL CEASE WHEN HE RESTORES THIS MISSING PIECE HE'LL TURN TO JOY MY EVERY TEAR. UNKNOWN DEAR GOD... I HAVE MOMENTS WHEN I'M NOT SURE ANYONE KNOWS WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH. I WANT TO BELIEVE SOMEONE KNOWS. WHAT I NEED EVEN MORE IS TO REALIZE THAT YOU KNOW. HELP ME TO THINK ABOUT YOUR SON...O GOD. IF I THINK ABOUT JESUS... I'LL BELIEVE THAT YOU KNOW ME IN MY PAIN. I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE LONELY. LONELINESS CAME MY WAY AND FORCED ITSELF ON ME. PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS UNDERSTAND...BUT YOUR SON...MY LORD JESUS...KNEW WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE LONELY. HELP ME ACCEPT MY LONELINESS SO THAT I MAY ALLOW IT TO MOVE TORWARD PEOPLE AND LIFE. BE MY COURAGE AND STRENGTH...O GOD. AMEN TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE. TREASURE EVERY MOMENT YOU HAVE. YOU WILL TREASURE IT EVEN MORE WHEN YOU CAN SHARE IT WITH SOMEONE SPECIAL. TO REALIZE THE VALUE OF A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER: LOSE ONE. I ADORED YOU... HOW I HUNGER FOR THE SIGHT, THE SOUND, THE SMELL OF YOU! MY LIFE IS EMPTY, MY SOUL DEPLETED NOW YOU ARE GONE, AND I CANNOT TOUCH YOU. YOU HELD THE ANSWERS TO ALL MY DREAMS - YOU FILLED MY MIND, MY HEART ALWAYS. HEAVEN HELP ME TO KEEP SOME SMALL PART OF YOU WITHIN ME, TO MAKE ME WHOLE... YOUR LOVING HUSBAND JEFF XOXOXO