The Love You Leave Behind

Not only is this the title of my new hardcover book of selected poems (partly inspired by the majesty of The Bridges of Madison County), but it also sums up words left to us by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and they bear repeating over and over again:

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know that even only life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.