Ms. Schuster was a regular contributor to the "Springville Journal" and has written a popular autobiography, "In the Garden of Gethemane" which describes her 30 plus year struggle with ALS, the Lou Gehrig disease.

Finally the inevitable happened, Joan Schuster succumbed to her disease on Feb. 20, 2003. We present the accompaning article in her memory.

A terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital wrote the poem that follows. She wanted to tell everyone to live life to it’s fullest since she never will. She will never make it to the prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own.

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun in the fading night?

You better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done,
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last.

Ever told your child
"We’ll do it tomorrow!"
And in your haste
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lose touch
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say "Hi!"

You better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day

It’s like an unopened gift
That’s thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over!