A Life Transformed: An Ode to JohnPaul
From childhood’s roughened soil, where tender dreams sprout,
Where parental care was scarce and comfort stood apart,
You learnt to make your wounded past a furnace for your heart,
And fashioned strength from suffering, resilience from each scar;
No bitterness could chain your soul, no hardship halt your stride,
You walked beyond the darkness with determination as your guide.
You entered life’s long marketplace, a waiter first in trade,
Serving with humility and diligence, while greater dreams were made;
Through sleepless nights and patient hands, your enterprise took flight,
Your deams rose from modest work to venture bold and bright;
With dedication as your creed and hard work as your oar,
You proved that humble beginnings can open destiny’s door.
From quiet Catholic worshipper, beneath the sacred light,
You heard a deeper summons calling you from height to height;
The servant grew a shepherd, and the shepherd learned to lead,
Till senior pastor stood your name, crowned not with pride but creed;
You bore the Cross with steadfast faith, compassion, truth and grace,
And made your pulpit more than words but a refuge for the lost and broken race.
Your hands were open fountains where the weary found grace,
You gave with love and tenderness, and sowed the seeds of peace;
For strangers and for neighbours, your compassion knew no wall,
The poor, the vulnerable, the broken heart — you made room for all;
You taught through deeds that giving is love made visible and true,
And many lives remember still the kindness found in you.
And now the house is hushed; your absence fills the air,
A silence heavy with the love that once was gathered there;
We mourn the voice, the hands, the heart that gave so much away,
Yet bless the precious gift of you, though tears attend this day.
Death may claim your breath JP, but never what you gave
Your faith, your love, your noble works shall live beyond the grave.
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