At Day’s End

~ John Hall ~

Is anybody happier because you passed his way?

Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?

The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;

Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?

Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that’s slipping fast,

That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?

Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said;

Does the man whose hopes were fading, now with courage look ahead?

Did you waste the day, or lose it?  Was it well or sorely spent?

Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?

As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say,

"You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?"

I posted this on my main blog on Windows Live Spaces in 2008.  I found this poem on a piece of paper in some things that my mom had given me when Jim and I were first married.  I recently moved those posts to Word Press.  Imagine my surprise when I got notification yesterday of a comment on this post.

 

“1. Paul Lockhart
Oct 24, 2010 @ 14:45:57

Beth,

Thank you for posting this poem. I’m in Iraq on my fourth deployment and I just got off the phone with my mother in NC. I asked her to locate this poem for me in the remnants of some Boy Scout material that had belonged to my father, my scoutmaster.
I am 43. He died when I was 16, at the age of 48. Going through his old desk one night about 12 years ago, I found this poem photocopied on a few sheets of paper. He’d read it to us many years earlier at some scouting event, so it sounded familiar.
With such as common sort of name, it is hard to tell if online searches point to the correct ‘John Hall.’ I wish I had new information and I’m sorry to ramble, but I can’t THANK YOU enough for posting it.
Being away from home again, you making it available to me online is a blessing.
Also, the “master mason” site mentioned above shows a version of the poem that IS NOT true to the original. Thank you also for keeping it pure.
God Bless you.

Paul Lockhart
US Army Reserve”

I have done some research on this young man without much luck.  To the best of my knowledge he is a pilot.  If by any small chance he is reading this I would like to tell him that I am so grateful for the sacrifice that he and our other military troops are making in their effort to keep America free.  I want him to know that they will all be in my daily prayers.

  Beth