DEDICATORY

Afar off in the distance
There are people I should know,
People who are waiting
Because they have no place to go.

They are waiting, waiting, waiting,
Hoping their day will come,
When they will be discovered,
Yes, discovered by a descendant son.

They have been longing for many a year,
Hoping with a sign,
That their names will not be forgotten,
Nor be passed by.

Their names are many and varied,
And there are some that are important to me;
For they are the ones who made it possible,
The Gospel light I should see.

They lived a life of sweat and toil
To prepare for the restoration--
That their descendants should have the Gospel
Without the King's condemnation.

Yes, Websters and Gowards are among them,
And I am of their blood;
The Parsons and the Reeces are with them,
Hoping I won't be a dud.

The Austins and the Commans are also there
Waiting with a smile,
As are the Burdetts and the Livocks
Hoping I will go the extra mile.

There are many many others
Whose names I do not know--
If I am going to find them,
To work I must go.

They lived on earth at a time
When the Gospel was not to be found--
I want to know all about them
So in the Temple their joy will abound.

That they may have a chance to share
In the blessings that are so dear,
Blessings they helped to give to me
By living before me without fear.

I also want to know of them
And of the lives they lived,
Because they helped to give to me
By living before me without fear.

For as I learn of the hardships and struggles
That they endured for so long,
My faith is increased and enlightened
Through gratitude for the family to which I belong.

I love to hear the histories and the stories
Of my forefathers, long ago--
Things I shall always remember,
I won't forget them, I know!

To them, my forefathers of long ago
This book is dedicated with love,
That we may meet some day in Heaven
And share these memories up above.

-----Allen W. Leigh