Where do they go to? – Kev F
Where do they go to, the people who leave?
Are they around us, in the cool evening breeze?
Do they still hear us, and watch us each day?
I’d like you to think of them with us that way.
Where do they go to, when no longer here?
I think that they stay with us, calming our fear
Loving us always, holding our hands
Walking beside us, on grass or on sand.
Where do they go to, well it’s my belief
They watch us and help us to cope with our grief
They comfort and stay with us, through each of our days
Guiding us always through life’s mortal maze.
One at Rest – A J Stanley
Think of me as one at rest,
For me you should not weep,
I have no pain, no troubled thoughts,
For I am just asleep.
The living thinking me that was,
Is now forever still.
And life goes on without me
As time forever will.
If your heart is heavy now
Because I’ve gone away,
Dwell not long upon it, friend,
For none of us can stay.
Those of you who liked me
I sincerely thank you all,
And those of you who loved me
I thank you most of all.
The answer to life’s riddle
In life I never knew,
I go with hope that now I will,
And even so will you.
Oh, foolish, foolish me that was,
I who was so small,
To have wondered, even worried,
At the mystery of it all.
And in my fleeting lifespan
As time went rushing by,
I found some time to hesitate,
To laugh, to love, to cry.
Matters it now if time began,
If time will ever cease?
I was here, I used it all,
And now I am at peace.
‘Family Tree’ - (Author Unknown)
A limb has fallen from the family tree
I hear a voice that whispers, ‘Grieve not for me’
Remember the best times, the laughter, the songs
The good I lived while I was strong
Continue my heritage, I’m counting on you
Keep on smiling, the sun will shine through
My mind is at ease, my soul is at rest
Remembering all…how I was truly blessed
Continue traditions, no matter how small
Go on with your lives, don’t stare at the wall
I miss you all dearly so keep up your chin
Until that fine day we’re together again
The Watcher - Margaret Widdermer
She always leaned to watch for us
Anxious if we were late,
In winter by the window,
In summer by the gate.
And though we mocked her tenderly,
Who had such foolish care,
The long way home would seem more safe,
Because she waited there.
Her thoughts were all so full of us,
She never could forget,
And so I think that where she is
She must be watching yet.
Waiting ’til we come home to her
Anxious if we are late
Watching from Heaven’s window
Leaning from Heaven’s gate.
She Is Gone (He Is Gone) - David Harkins
Or you can smile because she has lived
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left
Or you can be full of the love that you shared
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on
Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
Feel no Guilt in Laughter -(Author unknown)
Feel no guilt in laughter
He knows how much you care
Feel no sorrow in a smile
That he’s not here to share
You cannot grieve forever
He would not want you to
He’d hope that you can carry on
The way you always do
So, talk about the good times
And the ways you showed you care
The days you spent together
All the happiness you shared
For if you keep these moments
You will never be apart
And he will live forever
Locked safe within your heart
Love Shines Through – (Author unknown)
Like a shadow in the moonlight
Like the whisper of the seas
Like the echoes of a melody
Just beyond our reach
In the shadow of our sorrow
Past the whisper of goodbye
Love shines through eternity
A heartbeat from our eye
Her Journey's Just Begun - Ellen Brenneman
Don’t think of her as gone away,
her journey’s just begun,
Life holds so many facets,
this earth is only one,
Just think of her as resting,
from the sorrows and the tears,
In a place of warmth and comfort,
where there are no days or years,
Think how she must be wishing,
that we could know today,
How nothing but our sadness,
can really pass away,
And think of her as living,
in the hearts of those she touched,
For nothing loved is ever lost,
and she was loved so much.
As Long As Hearts Remember – Christina Rossetti
As long as hearts remember
As long as hearts still care
We do not part with those we love
They're with us everywhere
Afterglow - Helen Lowrie Marshall
I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.
I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun;
Of happy memories that I leave when life is done.
If I Should Go — Joyce Grenfell
If I should go before the rest of you
Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone
Nor when I'm gone speak in a Sunday voice
But be the usual selves that I have known
Weep if you must
Parting is hell
But life goes on
So sing as well.
Do not stand at my grave and weep - Mary Elizabeth Fry
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
God Looked Around His Garden (author unknown)
God looked around his garden
And found an empty place
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So he closed your weary eyelids
And said, “Peace be thine”.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn’t go alone.
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.
Because I have loved life – Amelia Josephine Burr
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have sent up my gladness on wings, to be lost in the blue of the sky.
I have run and leaped with the rain, I have taken the wind to my breast.
My cheek like a drowsy child to the face of the earth I have pressed.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have kissed young love on the lips, I have heard his song to the end.
I have struck my hand like a seal in the loyal hand of a friend.
I have known the peace of heaven, the comfort of work done well.
I have longed for death in the darkness and risen alive out of hell.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I give a share of my soul to the world where my course is run.
I know that another shall finish the task I must leave undone.
I know that no flower, nor flint was in vain on the path I trod.
As one looks on a face through a window, through life I have looked on God.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
Those Whom I Love, and Those Who Love Me - Robert Burns
When I am gone, release me, let me go,
I have so many things to see and do.
You must not tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had so many years.
You can only guess how much you gave me,
In happiness.
I thank you for the love you each have shown,
And now it’s time I travelled on alone.
So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It’s only for a while that we must part,
So bless the memories within your heart
I will not be far away – for life goes on,
So if you need me call, and I will come.
Though you cannot see or touch me, I’ll be near,
And if you listen with your heart, you will hear,
All of my love around you, soft and clear
Then, when you must come this way alone,
I will greet you with a smile, and a ‘welcome home’.
As We Look Back - Clare Jones
As we look back over time
We find ourselves wondering
Did we remember to thank you enough
For all that you have done for us?
For all the times you were by our sides
To help and support us
To celebrate our successes
To understand our problems
And accept our defeats?
Or for teaching us by your example,
The value of hard work, good judgement,
Courage and integrity?
We wonder if we ever thanked you
For the sacrifices you made
To let us have the very best?
And for the simple things
Like laughter, smiles and time we shared?
If we have forgotten to show our
Gratitude enough for all the things you did,
We’re thanking you now.
And we are hoping you knew all along
How much you meant to us.
Death is nothing at all – Canon Henry Scott Holland
Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which you have always used.
Put no difference in your tone, wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Pray, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was,
let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant, it is the same as it ever was;
there is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval somewhere very near,
just around the corner.
All is well.
Farewell My Friends – Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali poet and philosopher (1861 – 1941)
It was beautiful as long as it lasted
The journey of my life.
I have no regrets whatsoever
Save the pain I’ll leave behind.
Those dear hearts who love and care…
And the strings pulling at the heart and soul…
The strong arms that held me up
When my own strength let me down.
At every turning of my life I came across good friends,
Friends who stood by me,
Even when the time raced me by.
Farewell, farewell, my friends
I smile and bid you goodbye.
No, shed no tears for I need them not
All I need is your smile.
If you feel sad do think of me
For that is what I’ll like.
When you live in the hearts
Of those you love, remember then
You never die.
Miss Me – But Let Me Go - Christina Rossetti
When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no tears in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free
Miss me a little but not too long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that once we shared
Miss me – but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take
And for each must go alone
It’s all a part of a bigger plan
A step on the road to home
And when you are lonely and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know
Laugh at all the things we used to do
Miss me – but let me go.
It Is Hard To Sing Of Oneness – Nishkan Ha Nefesh
It is hard to sing of oneness when our world is not complete,
when those who have once brought wholeness to our life have gone,
and naught but memory can fill the emptiness their passing leaves behind.
But memory can tell us only what we were, in company with those we loved;
It cannot help us find what each of us, alone, must now become.
Yet no one is really alone; those who live no more echo still within our thoughts and words, and what they did is part of what we have become.
We do best homage to our dead when we live our lives most fully,
even in the shadow of our loss
One Day at a Time - Ida Scott Taylor
“One day at a time – this is enough.
Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone
And do not be troubled about the future for it has not yet come.
Live in the present and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering”
Bench in the Breeze - (Author unknown)
I find a bench beneath the trees,
The world around me hums with ease.
A petal falls, a sparrow sings,
The air is soft with whispered wings.
The flowers nod, the branches sway,
The clouds drift slow and slip away.
No need for words, no need for plans—
Just nature holding gentle hands.
Anonymous
Right now I’m in a different place -Christina Georgina Rossetti
Right now I'm in a different place
And though we seem apart
I'm closer than I ever was
I'm there inside your heart
I’m with you when you greet each day
And while the sun shines bright
I’m there to share the sunsets, too
I’m with you every night.
I’m with you when the times are good
To share a laugh or two,
And if a tear should start to fall
I’ll still be there for you.
And when that day arrives
That we no longer are apart,
I’ll smile and hold you close to me,
Forever in my heart.
There is No Light Without a Dawning -Helen Steiner Rice
No winter without a spring
And beyond the dark horizon
Our hearts will once more sing
For those who leave us for a while
Have only gone away
Out of a restless, care worn world
Into a brighter day
Pardon Me For Not Getting Up - Kelly Roper
Oh dear, if you're reading this right now,
I must have given up the ghost.
I hope you can forgive me for being
Such a stiff and unwelcoming host.
Just talk amongst yourself my friends,
And share a toast or two.
For I am sure you will remember well
How I loved to drink with you.
Don't worry about mourning me,
I was never easy to offend.
Feel free to share a story at my expense
And we'll have a good laugh at the end.
The Parting Glass
(Irish traditional) -Author unknown
Oh all the time that e’er I spent,
I spent it in good company;
And any harm that e’er I’ve done,
I trust it was to none but me;
May those I’ve loved through all the years
Have memories now they’ll e’er recall;
So fill me to the parting glass,
Goodnight, and joy be with you all.
Oh all the comrades that e’er I had,
Are sorry for my going away;
And all the loved ones that e’er I had
Would wish me one more day to stay.
But since it falls unto my lot
That I should leave and you should not,
I’ll gently rise and I’ll softly call
Goodnight, and joy be with you all.
Of all good times that e’er we shared,
I leave to you fond memory;
And for all the friendship that e’er we had
I ask you to remember me;
And when you sit and stories tell,
I’ll be with you and help recall;
So fill to me the parting glass,
God bless, and joy be with you all.
“Funeral” - Rupi Kaur
When I go from this place, dress the porch with garlands as you would for a wedding day my dear
Pull the people from their homes and dance in the streets when death arrives like a bride at the aisle
Send me off in my brightest clothing, serve ice cream with rose petals to our guests
There’s no reason to cry my dear
I have waited my whole life for such a beauty to take my breath away
When I go let it be a celebration, for I have been here I have lived
I have won at this game called life
“In Memoriam” - William Morecomb
For a second you were flying
Like you always wanted to
Now you’ll fly forever
In skies of azure blue
We’ll see your smile in every ray
Of sunshine after rain
And hear the echo of your laughter
Over all the pain
The world’s a little quieter now
The colours have lost their hue
The birds are singing softly
And our hearts are missing you
Each time we see a little cloud
Or a rainbow soaring high
We’ll think of you and gently
Wipe a tear from our eye.
Live A Life That Matters – Michael Josephson
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived.
At the end, whether you were beautiful or brilliant, male or female,
even your skin colour won’t matter.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built;
not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live in those who loved you.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
Let Us Gather -(Author unknown)
"The Garden of Love" - William Blake
‘In The Garden at Dusk’ - Joyce Grenfell
In the cool of the garden when the evening draws in
Serenity waits where the shadows begin
In the fragrance of dusk and the murmur of clover
The concerns that we carried pass peacefully over
Flowers in their fullness shed blessings about
And the turmoil of living fades quietly out
Hope glimmers through each evening star
And our cares will shrink to the size that they are
'Into a Brighter Day' Helen Steiner Rice
There is no night without a dawning
No winter without a spring
And beyond the dark horizon.
Our hearts will once more sing…
For those who leave us for a while
Have only gone away
Out of a restless, care worn world
Into a brighter day
If I Be the First of Us to Die – Nicholas Evans
If I be the first of us to die,
Let grief not blacken long your sky.
Be bold yet modest in your grieving.
There is a change but not a leaving.
For just as death is part of life,
The dead live on forever in the living.
And all the gathered riches of our journey,
The moments shared, the mysteries explored,
The steady layering of intimacy stored,
The things that made us laugh or weep or sing,
The joy of sunlit snow or first unfurling of the spring,
The wordless language of look and touch,
The knowing,
Each giving and each taking,
These are not flowers that fade,
Nor trees that fall and crumble,
Nor are they stone,
For even stone cannot the wind and rain withstand
And mighty mountain peaks in time reduce to sand.
What we were, we are.
What we had, we have.
A conjoined past imperishably present.
So when you walk the wood where once we walked together
And scan in vain the dappled bank beside you for my shadow,
Or pause where we always did upon the hill to gaze across the land,
And spotting something, reach by habit for my hand,
And finding none, feel sorrow start to steal upon you,
Be still.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
Listen for my footfall in your heart.
I am not gone but merely walk within you.”
The Final Haul – A Trucker’s Journey Home - (Author unknown)
He rolled beneath the endless sky,
With headlights bright, his spirit high
Through winter’s chill and summer’s heat
His heart kept time with each heartbeat
The miles stretched long, the road would bend
Yet every path became a friend.
He drove through storms, through sun and rain,
In freedom’s lane, he’d ease the pain.
He knew the calls of distant lands,
The wheels obeyed his steady hands.
Each truck stop light, each winding curve,
He found his peace in every swerve.
Now he’s parked being the blue,
Where skies are clear and roads are new.
The engine quiet, the journey done'
He’s found his rest, the race he’s won.
In heaven’s lot, he’s home at last,
His wheels no more, his worries passed.
The angels greet him, arms spread wide,
To join him on the other side.
So, let’s remember, friend so true,
The roads he travelled, skies he knew.
Though he’s gone, his spirit stays,
Guiding us in countless ways.
Rest in peace, your journey free,
Rolling on eternally.
Forever parked in gentle grace,
You’ve found a perfect resting place.
Badge of The Yorkshire Man - Mark Gregory
With a nod of the head, or a grip of the hand,
He will give you his bond, that for ever will stand,
And nothing much safer you’ll find in the land;
For that is the badge of a Yorkshireman.
He may be reserved in his manner and speech,
And hide the fine graces of which pedants preach;
But he is kind and sincere when his heart you once reach,
For that is the badge of a Yorkshireman.
In his pastimes and sports he will try all the way,
And, back to the wall, make his greatest display;
He asks not for favours, but only fair play,
For that is the badge of a Yorkshireman.
I have met him away from his own native dales,
In cities and lands where strange language prevails;
Yet a breath of his county he always exhales,
and thus you will know he’s a Yorkshireman.
Instructions - Arnold Crompton
When I have moved beyond you in the adventure of life,
Gather in some pleasant place and there remember me
With spoken words, old and new.
Let a tear if you will, but let a smile come quickly
For I have loved the laughter of life.
Do not linger too long with your solemnities.
Go eat and talk, and when you can;
Follow a woodland trail, climb a high mountain,
Walk along the wild seashore,
Chew the thoughts of some book
Which challenges your soul.
Use your hands some bright day
To make a thing of beauty
Or to lift someone’s heavy load.
Though you mention not my name,
Though no thought of me crosses your mind,
I shall be with you,
For these have been the realities of my life for me.
And when you face some crisis with anguish.
When you walk alone with courage,
When you choose your path of right,
I shall be very close to you.
I have followed the valleys,
I have climbed the heights of life.
Eulogy from a Physicist – Aaron Freeman
A beautiful 'alternative' reading for a funeral. Maybe for scientists, atheists or both.
"You want the physicist to talk to your grieving family about the conservation of energy, so they will understand that your energy has not died.
You want the physicist to remind your sobbing mother about the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy gets created in the universe, and none is destroyed.
You want your mother to know that all your energy, every vibration, every BTU of heat, every wave of every particle that was her beloved child remains with her in this world.
You want the physicist to tell your weeping father that amid energies of the cosmos, you gave as good as you got.
And at one point you'd hope that the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your broken hearted spouse there in the pew and tell her that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you.
And as your widow rocks in the arms of a loving family, may the physicist let her know that all the photons that bounced from you were gathered in the particle detectors that are her eyes, that those photons created within her constellations of electromagnetically charged neurons whose energy will go on forever.
You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they'll be comforted to know your energy's still around.
According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you're just less orderly."