Where are you going, dear lady?
Don't hurry away so fast
So long you've prepared for this evening
And now it's upon us at last.

Forgive me, my dear, for the tear-drops
That slipped quietly down my face
For through time I'm looking back over the years
To some other time and place.

I see through a nursery window
A babe with a curl on her head
Bright eyes gazing at the lights
That shine over a tiny white bed.

How tenderly we watched you grow
Each step along the way
And thrilled at all the changes
That came with each passing day.

What greater joy in all this world
And, oh, what sadness, too
Then the laughter, the mischief, the tantrums, the tears
A girl growing up must go through.

And then, all too swiftly
It seemed to me
The sweet little girl slipped away
And a lovely young lady was she.

Almost alone you stand now, my dear
As you start the next phase of your life
The decisions you make must be wise ones and sure
In this world filled with hatred and strife.

But, Oh, what blessed assurance
To know within your heart
There's One who stands close beside you
Who never from you will depart.

The future, unlike the past
Unfolds as we live it each day
Its sorrow, its joys, its laughter and tears
We cannot command nor delay.

So face the future with courage
And be sure that the road you see
Is the one that the Saviour has chosen
And close by your side He will be.

For as you journey through the years
With friends and loved ones old and new
He'll be the One who never fails
He'll ever faithful be to you.