To those who came before me in seasons long ago,
To those who are the loved-ones that I have yet to know,
To those whose noble names I bear, whose light within me burns,
To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned.
To those whose lives of courage prepared the way for me,
Whose works became my heritage, whose harvest I may reap,
Who left for me a legacy that I have yet to earn,
To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned.
To those who came before me in days and years long past,
To those who are the fam’ly that I shall know at last,
To those who seek the blessings of the truth that I have learned,
To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned.
–Sally DeFord, “To Those Who Came Before Me”
