Verses
When I must leave you for a little while,
please do not grieve and shed wild tears
and hug your sorrow to you through the years,
but start out bravely with a gallant smile;
and for my sake and in my name live on
and do all things the same.
Feed not your loneliness on empty days,
but fill each waking hour in useful ways.
Reach out your hand in comfort and in cheer
and I in turn will comfort you
and you will know that I am always near;
and never, never be afraid to die,
for I am waiting for you in the sky!
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~
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.
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 life span, 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.
When we count our many blessings
it isn’t hard to see,
that life’s most valued treasures
are the treasures that are free.
For it isn’t what we own or buy
that signifies our wealth,
it’s the special gifts that have no price …
Our family, friends and health.
That man is a success
who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
who has gained the respect
of intelligent men
and the love of children;
who has filled his niche
and accomplished his task;
who leaves the world better
than he found it;
who has never lacked appreciation
of earth’s beauty
or failed to express it;
who looked for the best in others
and gave the best he had.
I have passed a mountain peak and
my soul is soaring in the firmament
of complete and unbound freedom.
I am far, far away; my companions and the clouds
are hiding the hills from my eyes.
The valleys are becoming flooded with an
ocean of silence, and the hands of oblivion
are engulfing the roads and the houses;
The prairies and fields are disappearing
behind a white spectre that looks like
the spring cloud, yellow as the candlelight
and red as the twilight.
The songs of the waves and the hymns of the streams
are scattered,
and the voices of the throngs reduced to silence.
And I can hear naught, but the music of eternity
in exact harmony with the spirits’ desires.
I am cloaked in full whiteness;
I am in comfort; I am in peace.
Kahlil Gibran
We little knew that morning
That God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly;
In death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
You did not go alone.
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.
You left us peaceful memories,
Your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you,
You are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken,
And nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us one by one
The chain will link again.
The clock of life is wound but once
And no-one has the power
To say just when the hands will stop,
The year, the day, the hour.
To lose your wealth is bad enough,
To lose your health is more,
To lose your soul a tragedy
That no one can restore.
Today alone you call your own,
To do with as you will,
Don't count upon tomorrow friends,
The hands may then be still.
Not how did he die, but how did he live.
Not what did he gain, but what did he give.
These are the units, to measure the worth,
of a man, as a man, regardless of birth.
Not what was his station, but had he a heart
And how did he play his God given part,
Was he ever ready with a word of good cheer,
to bring back a smile, to banish a tear.
Not what was his church nor what was his creed,
but had he defended those really in need.
Not what did the sketch in the newspapers say,
but how many were sorry that he’d passed away.
They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lest we forget.
The tide recedes but it leaves behind
bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down but gentle warmth
still lingers on the land.
The music stops, yet somehow
continues in sweet refrain.
For every joy that passes,
something beautiful remains.
Martha Vashti Pearson
To mourn too long for those we love
is self indulgent…
But to honour their memory
with a promise to live a little better
for having known them
gives purpose to their life…
and some reason for their death.
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 we had so many years.
I gave you my love, you can only guess,
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you have each shown,
But now it is time I travelled on alone.
So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It is 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.
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”.
Death is nothing at all –
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Laugh as we always laughed
At the little jokes we always enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort.
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 your mind,
Because I am out of your sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval,
Somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost;
One brief moment and all will be as it was before –
Only better, infinitely happier and forever –
We will all be one together.
Henry Scott-Holland (1847-1918)
Canon of St Paul's Cathedral, London
We speak your name
with love and pride.
We smile through tears
we try to hide.
Thank you Mum/Dad for
the time we shared.
The love you gave
and the way you cared.
You left a place
no one can fill.
We miss you Mum/Dad
and always will.
I am standing upon that foreshore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength
and I stand and watch her until at length she hangs
like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky
come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says, “There! She’s gone!”
“Gone where?” “Gone from my sight, that’s all”,
she is just as large in mast and spar and hull
as ever she was when she left my side;
just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of her destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at that moment when someone at my side says,
“There! She’s gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
“Here she comes!” And that is dying.
Bishop Brent
Mums are special people
No home should be without
For every family will agree
They’re so nice to have about
They are a happy mixture
Of a small girl and a woman
And they’re very necessary
In every family plan
Sometimes they’re most demanding
And stern and firm and tough
But underneath they’re soft as silk
For this is just a bluff
But in any kind of trouble
Mum reaches out her hand
And you can always count on her
To help and understand
And while we do not praise Mum
As often as we should
We love her and admire her
And while that’s understood
It’s only fair to emphasise
Her importance and her worth
For if there were no loving Mums
This would be a loveless earth.
You came to us for just a while
and brought with you that lovely smile.
Eyes that beamed with love and sparkle
opened wide, the world to marvel.
A heart so young and filled with love,
but now you rest with those above.
We miss your presence, that’s no lie
and often we can’t help but cry.
But who could wish that you should stay
when pain and illness plagued your way.
Selfish thoughts would want to keep you
when the angels came to meet you.
Your time on earth was very brief,
but memories stay to swallow the grief.
Time will help to heal the pain,
slowly we will live again.
We know how much that we were blessed,
but now they’ve taken you to rest.
To lift again that lovely smile
you shared with us for just a while.
You were someone special,
Someone good and true,
You will never be forgotten,
We thought the world of you.
A golden heart stopped beating,
two hands were laid to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove,
He only takes the best.
If tears could build a stairway,
and memories build a lane,
we would walk right up to heaven
and bring you back again.
Do not cry for my absence
feel me close and still
talk to me.
I will love you from heaven
as I have loved you
on earth.
The memory of his life
lived in peace and harmony,
and entirely dedicated
to the family,
will remain ineffable
in the minds of all those
who knew and loved him.
The memory of her life
lived in peace and harmony,
and entirely dedicated
to the family,
will remain ineffable
in the minds of all those
who knew and loved her.
When I am gone, release me, let me go;
You 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.
I gave you my love, you can only guess
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you all have shown
But now it’s time I travelled on alone.
So grieve awhile for me – if 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’ll 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”.
That woman is a success
who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
who has gained the respect
of intelligent people
and the love of children;
who has filled her niche
and accomplished her task;
who leaves the world better
than she found it;
who has never lacked appreciation
of earth’s beauty
or failed to express it;
who looked for the best in others
and gave the best she had.
A special smile,
a special face,
and in our hearts,
a special place.
A face we love is missing,
a voice we love is still,
a place is vacant in our hearts,
that no one else can fill.
Beautiful memories woven in gold,
this is the picture we tenderly hold,
deep in our hearts your memory is kept,
to love, cherish and never forget.
Out of this world of suffering,
into God’s garden of rest,
it must be a beautiful garden,
because He always takes the best.
Tired and weary you made no fuss,
you tried so hard to stay with us,
you suffered so much and told so few,
you never deserved what you went through.
Close to our hearts you will always stay,
loved and remembered every day.
With tears we saw you suffer,
We watched you fade away,
Our hearts were slowly breaking,
As you fought so hard to stay.
You did not want to leave us,
But you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you,
The day God took you home.
You can shed tears that she is gone,
Or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she’s gone,
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what she’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
A Mother is the greatest gift – a gift meaning love,
Her love is unconditional and it fits just like a glove.
From day one it’s always mum who’s there by your side,
Picking up the pieces and wiping the tears you’ve cried.
Who was there when you rode your first bike,
And listened when you told her about the boy you liked?
She encourages you all the time to do your very best,
Even when you don’t succeed – she picks you above the rest.
Then comes that awful day when you tell her to stay out of your life,
But notice how she’s the one to bail you out of strife.
Then you find true love and your mother must learn to share,
This can be difficult and it may seem quite unfair.
As you get older you realise that your relationship can be fun,
So you make amends and say you’re sorry for all that you’ve done.
She now becomes your best friend and you tell her how much you care,
And thank her over and over for always being there.
Most of these experiences for me are yet to come,
All I wish for is to be half as good – as my special mum.
Tracy Kollmann
A wonderful man laid to rest
For everyone he did his best
His deeds were good
His heart was kind
A better husband and dad
No-one could find
Loved by all who knew him
Sadly missed – Sleep peacefully
A wonderful woman laid to rest
For everyone she did her best
Her deeds were good
Her heart was kind
A better wife and mother
No-one could find
Loved by all who knew her
Sadly missed – Sleep peacefully
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.
May tender memories soften your grief,
May fond recollection bring you relief,
And may you find comfort and peace in the thought,
Of the joy that knowing your loved one brought –
For time and space can never divide,
Or keep your loved one from your side,
When memory paints in colours true,
The happy hours that belonged to you.
Helen Steiner Rice
Count your garden by the flowers,
Never by the leaves that fall.
Count your days by golden hours,
Don’t remember clouds at all.
Count your nights by stars, not shadows.
Count your life by smiles not tears
And with joy on every birthday.
Count your age by friends, not years.
Dads are special people,
No home should be without.
For every family will agree,
They’re so nice to have about.
They are a happy mixture,
Of a small boy and a man
And they’re very necessary,
In every family plan.
Sometimes they’re most demanding
And stern and firm and tough,
But underneath they’re soft as silk,
For this is just a bluff.
But in any kind of trouble,
Dad reaches out his hand
And you can always count on him,
To help and understand.
And while we do not praise Dad,
As often as we should,
We love him and admire him,
And while that’s understood.
It’s only fair to emphasise,
His importance and his worth,
For if there were no loving Dads,
This would be a loveless earth.
Death is nothing at all;
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name;
Speak to me in the easy way you always used.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, and pray for me.
Let my name be the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was;
there is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of your mind
because I am out of your sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is past; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before,
only better, infinitely happier and forever,
we will be one together with Christ.
Do not mourn too long
for our caring mother,
but honour her memory
with a promise to live a little better
for having known her.
It will enrich her life and yours,
for Mum’s legacy will live on.
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am the thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle Autumn’s rain.
When you awake in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.
Do not mourn too long
for our caring father,
but honour his memory
with a promise to live a little better
for having known him.
It will enrich his life and yours,
for Dad’s legacy will live on.
Do not weep that I have gone,
But rejoice that I have been.
For I have known life to its fullest measure,
I have felt pain and I have known pleasure.
Tears I have cried in grief and in laughter,
I have known love and all that comes after.
I’ve tasted the salt and the bitterness of tears,
I’ve walked in the rain when the day is done,
Felt a soft summer breeze, the warmth of the sun.
I’ve sat by the sea and heard the waves pound,
Held the hand that is friendship, its richness abound.
Yes, I have known life, and I will learn death,
So weep not for me that I have gone,
But rejoice that I have been,
And that I have known you.
Do not weep that I have gone,
‘Be Glad’ that I have been.
For I have known life to its fullest measure,
I have felt pain and I have known pleasure.
Tears I have cried in grief and in laughter,
I have known love and all that comes after.
I’ve tasted the salt and bitterness of tears,
I’ve walked in the rain when the day is done,
Felt a soft summer breeze,
And the warmth of the sun.
I’ve sat by the sea and heard the waves pound,
Held the hand that is friendship,
its richness abound.
Yes, I have known life, and I will learn death,
So weep not for me that I have gone,
But ‘Be Glad’ that I have been
And that I have known you.
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was
walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets
of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him,
and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path
of his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned
the LORD about it. “LORD, You said that
once I decided to follow You, You’d walk with me
all the way. But I noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life, there is only
one set of footprints. I don’t understand why
when I needed You most You would leave me.”
The LORD replied, “My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you.”
In tears we saw you sinking,
and watched you pass away.
Our hearts were almost broken,
we wanted you to stay.
But when we saw you sleeping,
so peaceful, free from pain,
How could we wish you back with us,
to suffer that again.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
but you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you,
you are forever in our hearts.
A life well-lived is a precious gift
Of hope and strength and grace,
From someone who has made our world
A brighter, better place.
It’s filled with moments sweet and sad,
With smiles and sometimes tears,
With friendships formed and good times shared
And laughter through the years.
A life well-lived is a legacy
Of joy and pride and pleasure,
A loving, lasting memory
Our grateful hearts will treasure.
You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all he’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he’s gone,
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what he’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
God saw you getting tired
And a cure was not to be
So he put his arms around you
And whispered, come with me.
With tearful eyes we watched you
And saw you pass away
And although we really loved you
We would not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating
Hard working hands at rest
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.
Don’t think of him as gone away
His journey’s just begun
Life holds so many facets
This earth is only one.
Just think of him as resting
From the sorrows and the tears
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and years.
Think how he must be wishing
That we could know today
How nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.
And think of him as living
In the hearts of those he touched
For nothing loved is ever lost
And he was loved so much.
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 and 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.
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 glimpsed 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.
And if I go,
while you’re still here …
know that I live on,
vibrating to a different measure
- behind a thin veil you
cannot see through.
You will not see me,
so you must have faith.
I wait for the time when we can
soar together again
- both aware of each other.
Until then, live your life
to its fullest.
And when you need me,
just whisper my name
in your heart …
I will be there.
If roses grow in heaven,
Lord, please pick a bunch for me,
Place them in my Mother's arms
And tell her they're from me.
Tell her I love her and miss her,
And when she turns to smile,
Place a kiss upon her cheek
And hold her for a while.
Because remembering her is easy,
I do it every day,
But there’s an ache within my heart
That will never go away.
Anonymous
Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free.
I’m following the path God laid for me.
I took God’s hand when I heard the call;
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way,
I found that place at the close of day.
If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss.
Ah yes, these things, I too, will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow,
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I savoured much,
Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief;
don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me.
God wanted me now, God set me free.
Flight is freedom in its purest form,
To dance with the clouds which follow a storm;
To roll and glide, to wheel and spin,
To feel the joy that swells within.
To leave the earth with its troubles and fly,
And know the warmth of a clear spring sky;
Then back to earth at the end of the day,
Released from the tensions which melted away.
Should my end come while I am in flight,
Whether brightest day or darkest night;
Spare me your pity and shrug off the pain,
Secure in the knowledge that I’d do it again.
For each of us is created to die,
And within me I know,
I was born to fly.
Gary Claude Stoker
We thought of you with love today,
But that is nothing new,
We thought about you yesterday
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence,
We often speak your name,
Now all we have is memories
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake,
With which we’ll never part,
God has you in His keeping,
We have you in our hearts.
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind always be at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
When I come to the end of the road,
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites 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 we once shared,
Miss me – but let me go.
For this is a journey that we all must take,
And each must go alone.
It’s all part of the Master’s plan,
A step on the road to home.
When you’re lonely and sick of heart,
Go to the friends we know,
And lose your sorrows in doing good deeds,
Miss me – but let me go.
You can shed tears that she is gone,
Or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she’s gone,
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what she’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all he’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he’s gone,
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what he’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
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