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It isn't the thing you do,
It's the thing you leave undone,
Which gives you a bit of a heartache
At the setting of the sun.
The tender word forgotten,
The letter you did not write,
The flower you might have sent,
Are your haunting ghosts tonight.
The stone you might have lifted
Out of a brother's way,
The bit of heartsome counsel
You were hurried too much to say.
The loving touch of the hand,
The gentle and winsome tone,
That you had no time or thought for
With troubles enough of your own.
The little acts of kindness,
So easily out of mind;
Those chances to be helpful
Which everyone may find--
Nol, it's not the thing you do,
It's the thing you leave undone,
Which gives you the bit of heartache
At the setting of the sun.
This poem is in the public domain.
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Margaret Elizabeth Sangster (1838 - 1912) was an American author and editor. Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, she began writing as a child and published her first book at the age of 17. Like Louisa May Alcott, Margaret was the primary source of her family's financial support for many years, writing articles and columns for various publications, serving as an editor, writing poems and stories for children, and writing hymns. A devout member of the Dutch Reformed Church, her work frequently centered around Christian principles and home and family life.
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