SIN, of omission

Misdeeds are sins of commission and missed deeds are sins of omission.

Poetry

It isn't the thing you do;
It's the thing you leave undone,
Which gives you a bit of 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 harried too much to say.

The loving touch of the hand,
The gentle winsome tone,
That you had no time or tho't 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.

No, it's not the things you do,
It's the thing you leave undone
Which gives you the bit of heartache
At the setting of the sun.

By Margaret Sangster, taken from Resource, Sept./Oct., 1992, p. 2.