Dad, I know that where you are now you are surrounded by roses. I miss you. I love you. You were a light in my life that burns forever.

A rose once grew where all could see, sheltered beside a garden wall; and as the years passed swiftly by, it spread its branches, straight and tall.

One day a beam of light shone through a crevice that had opened wide. The rose bent gently toward the light, then passed beyond to the other side.

May those who feel the loss be comforted; the rose blooms on the other side, its beauty even greater now.

A man planted a rose and watered it faithfully. One day he saw a bud that would soon blossom; he also noticed the thorns. He thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?" Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose and, before it was able to bloom, it withered and died.

So it is with many people; within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in each of us at birth grow among the thorns of our faults.

Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns---the defects. We despair, thinking that nothing good could possibly come from within us. We neglect to water the good qualities within ourselves, and eventually they wither and die. We never realize our potential.

Some people cannot see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is the ability to reach past the thorns and find the rose within others. This is the characteristic of love---to look at a person and, knowing his faults, recognize the nobility of his soul, and help him to realize that he can overcome his faults. If we show him the rose, he will conquer the thorns.

Our duty in this world is to help others by showing them their own rose. Only then can we achieve the love we should feel for each other and bloom in our own garden."

Author Unknown