One day I’ll leave this old body, This earthen house of clay,
And rise up to be with Jesus, Who is my Hope and Stay.
This earthen shell I’ll leave behind, And those who come to mourn
Will see this house left vacant With earthly rags adorned.
They’ll come to gaze upon it; To remember times gone by,
To visit friends and family, To laugh and, yes, to cry—
But this one thing remember, If one of them is you,
That I’ve gone and left this body, As all of us must do,
And I’ll be waiting over yonder Where Jesus lives and reigns,
For ‘tis there I hope to meet you, Where we’ll never part again.
a. franklin staples, May 11, 2002
