The following was given to me by a very dear friend. She was 80yrs old and she was dying with a liver disease when she came to New Mexico to visit me. I thought that this goes well with what we've been discussing in the thread about giving ourselves away.....

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open,
And learn to build all your roads on today,
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans,
And after awhile, you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure,
That you really are strong,
And you really do have worth
And you learn and learn,
With every goodbye, you learn.