Requiem for Gabe

Requiem for Gabe

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine;

You blazed upon us, as light.

As from the top of great mountain,

Blown by winds and storms,

Malevolent and violent, you withstood.

Like a great warrior, you fought the odds,

Like a great champion, you gave us hope;

Even where we may had have doubt.

You stared down the face of the storm,

The winds, terrible as they were,

Tried to quench your spirit.

But, you battled relentlessly, and fought,

Only to finally succumb.

Your namesake the archangel,

Is a messenger from God to man.

Gabriel explains the visions of Daniel,

And foretold the births of Jesus and John the Baptist.

So perhaps, brave one, it is portentous;

That you, with your short life,

Foretell our own fates as well.

That it is not how long you live,

But HOW you live that matters.

Live with courage,

Live as an inspiration to all who know you,

Even if you are small and innocent.

Requiescant in pace.

 Gabe Wilkie was my wife's nephew.  He sucessfully battled cancer, and then got leukemia.  In the preparation for his bone marrow transplant, (which was to be 10/3/11), he contracetd pneumonia.  Despite ICU and every effort, he succumbed (to pneumonia, not cancer) on 10/2/11.  He was a brave warrior and an inspiration to his entire family.  Rest in peace.