At the end of life's path As a matter of the simplest math A good man wishes he has led His children to right thoughts in their heads
At the end of life's dreams Filled with love bursting at the seams A good man hopes he has brought love And focused thoughts on God above
At the end of life's walk He hopes his words have been good talk That have taught lessons well Bringing truth to every detail
At the end of life's last and all He hopes his memories will cause recall Of the righteousness he has taught It is the everything he has truly sought
But in the end, only the one God knows If it has all been as vain as the wind blows Or will the goodness take it roots As was meant and until his last breath contributes
All is meant to be as best that he can But after all he knows that he's only a man Born to do that best but still make mistakes These are the days of emblazoned heartbreaks
A good man watches his children with love Whispering his prayers to the one God above Wishing that his life has served them well Despite his life being a fractured fairy tale
“It is favourable to liberty. Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights, and where learning is confined to a few people, liberty can be neither equal nor universal.” – Benjamin Rush, Essay (1786)
“If any man seeks for greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both.” – Horace Mann, educational reformer (4 May 1796-1859)
“[America’s] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice.” – John Quincy Adams, Speech on Independence Day to the House of Representatives, 1821
“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.” – George Washington, circular letter of farewell to the Army, 1783
“Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own, which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.” – Jonathan Swift, satirist (1667-1745)
“That religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence, and therefore all men have an equal, natural and unalienable right to the free exercise of religion according to the dictates of conscience, and that no particular religious sect or society ought to be favored or established by law in preference to others.” – Patrick Henry
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
