Chris van der Westhuizen

Eendag sal ek vergeet
waaroor ons gepraat het.
Die stories sal vervaag,
die feite sal verdwyn,
en selfs die grappies
sal met die wind saam wegwaai.

Maar iets sal bly.

Ek sal onthou
hoe ek gevoel het
toe ek van jou af wegstap.

Ek sal onthou
of daar vrede was,
of jou woorde sag was,
of jou glimlag opreg was,
of jou hart ruimte gemaak het
vir iemand anders.

Ek sal onthou
of liefde die kamer gevul het,
of vreugde saam met jou ingestap het,
of geduld my laat voel het
dat ek nie hoef te jaag nie.

Ek sal onthou
of vriendelikheid
sonder moeite uit jou gevloei het.
Of goedheid
meer as mooi woorde was.
Of getrouheid
deur jou dade gepraat het.

Ek sal onthou
of sagmoedigheid
sterker was as trots.
Of selfbeheersing
jou woorde bewaak het
toe dit makliker was
om lelik te praat.

Want mense onthou
nie altyd jou sinne nie,
maar hulle onthou
hoe jy hulle laat voel het.

En miskien
is dit presies waarom
God nie eerste vra
hoe slim ons was,
hoe suksesvol ons geword het,
of hoeveel mense ons beïndruk het nie.

Hy vra dat Sy Gees
deur ons sigbaar sal word.

Sodat wanneer ons lankal weg is,
ons woorde dalk vergeet word,
maar die geur van Christus
nog in mense se harte leef.

Mag dit wees
wat hulle van ons onthou.

                              Chris M. v/d Westhuizen '2026 

What I Will Remember About You

One day
I'll forget
what we talked about.

The stories will fade,
the facts will disappear,
and even the jokes
will quietly drift away.

But something will remain.

I'll remember
how I felt
when I walked away from you.

I'll remember
whether there was peace,
whether your words were gentle,
whether your smile was genuine,
whether your heart
made room for someone else.

I'll remember
whether love filled the moment,
whether joy arrived with you,
whether your patience
made me feel
I didn't have to rush.

I'll remember
whether kindness
flowed naturally from you.
Whether goodness
was more than beautiful words.
Whether faithfulness
was seen in the way you lived.

I'll remember
whether gentleness
was stronger than pride.
Whether self-control
guarded your tongue
when it would have been easier
to speak carelessly.

Because people
do not always remember
what you said.

But they remember
how you made them feel.

Perhaps that is why
God is not most concerned
with how clever we were,
how successful we became,
or how many people admired us.

He desires that His Spirit
be seen in us.

So that long after we are gone,
our words may be forgotten,
but the fragrance of Christ
will still remain
in the hearts of those
who knew us.

May that be
what they remember about us.

                              Chris M. v/d Westhuizen '2026 (Translated from Afrikaans)