FOR OUR WORLD We need to stop. Just stop. Stop for a moment. Before anybody Says or does anything That may hurt anyone else. We need to be silent. Just silent. Heart Silent for a moment. Before we forever lose The blessing of songs That grow in our hearts. We need to notice. Just notice. Notice for a moment. Before the future slips away Into ashes and dust of humility. Stop, be silent, and notice. In so many ways, we are the same. Our differences are unique treasures. We have, we are, a mosaic of gifts To nurture, to offer, to accept. We need to be. Just be. Be for a moment. Kind and gentle, innocent and trusting, Like children and lambs, Never judging or vengeful Like the judging and vengeful. And now, let us pray, Differently, yet together, Before there is no earth, no life, No chance for peace. This wonderful soul left this earth at a young age of 13.......... September 12, 2001 © Matthew Joseph Thaddeus StepanekMattie's motto: "Think gently, speak gently, live gently." Mattie's philosophy: "Remember to play after every storm." How Mattie wants to be remembered: As a "Poet, Peacemaker, and Philosopher Who Played"