You Never Know When It Is Time to Go (by Alex and Eva Peck

My mother phoned on a Thursday night;

We said good-bye on a note quite bright.

Early the next week, we received a call;

Mother had died; shocked were we all!

With dad one day, I visited his Ukrainian friend;

On parting, good will and cheer to us he did send.

Two weeks later, he died resting after lunch one afternoon;

It was so unexpected, and after our visit far too soon!

Lloyd taught English with us in Hradec from the start;

His students all much loved him truly from their heart.

As I recall, Lloyd, when he was only sixty-two,

During a bad winter was conquered by the flu!

My wife’s mum we saw in her home in Cleveland;

Nice things we did while here from a distant land.

Then, shockingly, she died in her sleep one February night;

It left us sad and sobered to reflect on her plight.

Kathy loved her mountain home after teaching overseas;

She kept in touch from her scenic place in the high Rockies.

We were stunned one day to get news from her friend:

A brain aneurysm brought her life to an unexpected end!

Mary planned a stay in Prague looking so inviting;

To spend time with former friends all sounded exciting.

Not long after, we had heard that Mary became ill;

And then she died so quickly; a big shock it is still!

Mike, a youth leader, was loved by young and old;

All liked hearing the great tales that often he had told.

Cycling home from a camp late one summer day,

Mike suffered a heart attack and died along the way.

There is a crucial lesson in the sober verses above:

May each of our good-byes be filled with heartfelt love.

We never know when a loved one for the last time we’ll see,

Always, therefore, it is vital to part in harmony.

Death will come to one and all, that we know for sure;

But, know we cannot, when it will knock at our door.

So be careful with the selfish plans you make,

Neglecting important tasks you need to undertake!

Hence, as much as possible, striving to be ready,

Try to always make your life fruitful and not heady.

The truth is that you’ll never know

When it’s time for you to go!