Thank you so very much to Bianaca and Kaheryn Summers for this beautiful poem. This poem was written by J.P. McEvoy, Bianaca and Katheryn's great, great, grandfather.
"If For Girls"
If you can hear the whispering about you
And never yeeild to deal in whispers, too;
If you can bravely smile when loved ones dought you
And never dought, in turn, what loved ones do;
If you can keep a sweet and gentle spirt
In spite of fame or fortune, rank or place,
And though you win your goal or only near it,
Can win poise or lose with equal grace;
If you can meet with Unbelief, beliving,
And hollow in your heart, a simple creed,
If you can meet Decception, undeceiving,
And learn to look to God for all your need;
If you can be what girls should be to mothers:
Chums in joy and comrades in distress,
And be unto others as you'd have the others
Be unto you~~no more, and yet no less;
If you can keep within your heart the power
To say that firm, unconquerable "No,"
If you can brave a present shadowed hour
Rather than yeild to built a future woe;
If you can love, yet not let loving master,
But keep yourself within your own self's clasp,
And not let dreaming lead you to disaster
Nor Pity's fascinatioin loose your gasp;
If you can lock your heart on confidenceses
Nor ever needlessly in turn confide;
If you can put behind you all pretenses
Of mock humility or foolish pride;
If you can keep the simple, homely virtue
Of walking right with God~~then have no fear
That anything in all the world can hurt you~~
And~~which is more~~you'll be a Women, dear.
