In Loving Memory

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intellingent
people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether
by a healthy child, a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson