Lindsay Whelchel

Posted by on Nov 30, 2009 in Inspired by Dan

I wanted to share with you something I wrote to, in some small way, honor Dan and what he worked so hard for in Africa, I have read his story and am amazed at how significantly he has touched my life… it has always seemed I was heading for something.. the need to DO something, but the goals I have for this and the way to achieve them, have always seemed unclear . That was until I learned of Dan. His incredible light and magnitude is so powerful, even though he died so young…. All of a sudden the grasp I have on what I should do with my life is so much more real… so much more tangible. I don’t know how to possibly come close in appropriately thanking Dan for his important part in that. I am 19 right now and I will do my best to honor his memory through things I do in life for other people…. but I thought I’d start with a poem, it doesn’t seem like much, I know, but I wanted to do my best to illustrate what an honorable and huge price he paid to help other people…maybe you can include this poem from me, to help pay tribute to “Dan’s dreams” and his life……

” Touch the Sun “

By: Lindsay Whelchel

In honor of Dan Eldon

Sit down,
Sit down,
take a load off your feet,
a seat,
on the ground,
Sit down,
I know,
that at night,
it gets cold,
around here,
I know,
that you’ve
traveled far,
your tattered bag,
resting on your tired back,
and sometimes stars,
don’t make good maps,
they lead you around the world,
but you can’t go home,
I know,
it’s kind of sad,
that
the look in your eyes,
dances between,
happiness and misery,
forever caught,
in other people’s battles,
other people’s wars,
and still you’ve fought,
all you can,
still you lost,
what you never had
to begin
with,
you say,
you know what it’s for,
you’ve seen it all,
the world touch the sun,
and its people fall,
you say,
you say,
there should be another way,
to get warm,
to find light,
than to crash,
head first,
into the flames,
Sit down,
it’s important that you save,
a little bit of strength,
just in case,
that world knocks you down,
sit down,
it gets cold around here,
and sometimes stars,
don’t make good maps,
they lead you around the world,
but you can’t come back,
you can’t always,
go home,
I know,
it’s kind of sad,
but then again,
if you were never here,
what would we have,
you saw things
so much more clear,
more so than us,
and it’s that kind of love,
that hurts the most,
such a sacrifice,
paid to find,
the hope,
in lost causes,
the beauty,
in the sun burned earth,
but
you say,
you say,
you know what its for,
I really think you did,
and maybe,
because you lived,
the world will see too,
sit down,
sit down,
we lost what we couldn’t lose,
sit down,
you already gave
too much
to touch the sun…