An Inspiring Reading -- "The Gift of Choice"

I came into the world without being asked,
And when the time for dying comes
I shall not be consulted;

But between the boundaries of birth and death
Lies the dominion of Choice:

To be a doer or a dreamer,
To be a lifter or a leaner.
To speak out or remain silent,
To extend a hand in friendship
Or to look the other way:
To feel the sufferings of others
Or to be callous and insensitive.

These are the choices.
It is in the choosing
That my measure as a person
Is determined.

Gertrude Hildreth Housman

Comments

[Gail Sussman Miller]

Robert:

It's so great to know you, to have you stop by and comment on your mother's poem. I'm glad you are gratified by your mom's reach. Isn't that what we all hope to do in our time on this Earth, to have an impact and leave a legacy of good work?

Your mom's poem is in a Jewish prayer book! I heard this read on Labor Day 2007 at the Bar Mitzvah of a boy I have known his whole life. It inspired me on the spot... enough to write down every word of it and to try and find in on the web. I found one mention of this poem.

How did you find it here? I am curious.

Glad to meet you and to have this connection. This gives me a way to thank your mom for her words, through you.

[Robert Housman]

This poem was written by my mother. She passed away on December 23, 1998. I do not know where you found her poem but I am very touched that she is able to inspire people long after she is gone.