Ripples

Last year grandpa took me
Down by parson's lake
The Sun rose on the water
Like a mirror that might break
Picked a stone from the ground
A big one, flat and round
But before I could skip it
Behind me grandpa made a sound

He cleared his throat, then he grinned
Said, that rock that you're holdin'
Is a lot like life even though
Right now you may not know it
So throw it hard, don't hold back
See how far you can go
And watch the waves on the water
As they spread and grow

'Cause it ain't the splash that lasts
It's the ripples that you make
Those tiny circles growin' larger
Till they're reachin' every bank
In life you never know
What your waves are gonna shake
Or what you'll end up changin'
With the ripples that you make

Thought about what grandpa said
But didn't really understand
At the time I didn't know
Maybe that's the way he planned
We've all got ups and downs
And choices that we make
Try to spread a little love
Instead of spreading hate

Last week grandpa passed
And you should've seen his wake
People came from all around
Just to give their thanks
There were some folks that we knew
But most we met that day
That's when I realized what he meant
And I can still hear grandpa say

It ain't the splash that lasts
It's the ripples that you make
Those tiny circles growin' larger
Till they're reachin' every bank
In life ya never know
What your waves are gonna shake
Or what you'll end up changin'
With the ripples that you make