George Freeberg's Poem

Walt Schneebli and Rich Cooper have recently completed a painstaking process. They scanned the entire collection of Dolphin Club logs since 1949 and loaded them onto an internet archival site. Their generous effort affords anyone with an interest in club history an opportunity to stroll down a watery memory lane with the click of a button.

I was doing some research for a blog entry and came across the favorite poem of member George Freeberg, published on the occasion of his death in the June, 1974 edition of the Dolphin Log. This is his poem:

Lord, Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older, and will someday be old.

Keep me from getting talkative, and particularly from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject, and on every occassion.

Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs.

Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details, give me wings to get to the point.

I ask for grace enough to listen to the tales of others' pains.  Help me to endure them with patience.

But seal my lips on my own aches and pains:  they are increasing and my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally it is possible that I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet:  I do not want to be a saint--some of them are so hard to live with--but a sour old man/woman is one of the crowning works of the devil.

Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not bossy.  With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all--but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.

On the cusp of turning 60 years old, myself, I related to the sentiment he expressed and thought it worth sharing.