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I can teach you things but
I cannot make you learn.
I can allow you freedom
but I cannot be responsible for you.
I can teach you to share but
I cannot make you unselfish.
I can tell you about kindness but
I cannot make you gracious.
I gave you life but
I cannot live it for you.
Joy, until we have felt sorrow;
Faith until we are tested;
Peace, until we are faced with conflict;
Trust, until we are betrayed;
Love until it is lost;
Hope, until we are faced with doubts
give you back the past, nor satisfy your other daydreams.
Your duty, your reward, your destiny, is in the present moment.
1 comment
Be careful…. parts of this poem come from a much earlier copyrighted poem by Patrick Atkinson called “Message for My Child. You can find that full poem at http://www.godschild.org/message-for-my-child/