
Just close your eyes and you will see\
All the memories that you have of me\
Just sit and relax and you will find\
I'm really still there inside your mind

Don't cry for me now I'm gone\
For I am in the land of song\
There is no pain, there is no fear\
So dry away that silent tear

Don't think of me in the dark and cold\
For here I am, no longer old\
I'm in that place that's filled with love\
Known to you all, as "up above"

A silent tear


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.

A song of living


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.

Afterglow


Death is nothing at all,\
I have only slipped into the next room.\
I am I and you are you;\
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,\
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.\
Play, 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 unbroken continuity.\
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?\
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,\
Just around the corner.\
All is well.

All is well


TIt is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not\
die, but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again.\
Nothing is dead; men feign themselves dead, and endure mock funerals\
and mournful obituaries, and there they stand looking out of the\
window, sound and well, in some new strange disguise. Jesus is not\
dead; he is very well alive; nor John, nor Paul, nor\
Mahomet, nor Aristotle; at times we believe we have seen them all, and could\
easily tell the names under which they go.


All return again


Tear drops, slow and steady,\
The pain so real and true,\
God took another angel,\
And that angel, dear, was you.\
Angel wings, upon the clouds,\
Your body softly sleeps,\
Hush now little angel,\
No more tears you have to weep.

Little prayers are sent to you,\
The short life you led;\
Your family will never forget you,\
So rest your little head.\
I know God will look after you,\
Now you are truly alive,\
Your spirit soars beyond the moon,\
Your legacy will survive.

You’re beautiful, you’re endless,\
Now stretch your wings and fly,\
You’re loved by so, so many,\
It will never be goodbye.\
Close your pretty eyes,\
No more tears, just go and rest,\
Let your soul lie peacefully,\
We know you did your best.


Angel


As we look back over time\
We find ourselves wondering\
Did we remember to thank you enough\
For all 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 times 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.


As we look back


I cannot say and I will not say\
That she is dead, she is just away.\
With a cheery smile and a wave of hand\
She has wandered into an unknown land;\
And left us dreaming how very fair\
Its needs must be, since she lingers there.\
And you-oh you, who the wildest yearn\
From the old-time step and the glad return-\
Think of her faring on, as dear\
In the love of there, as the love of here\
Think of her still the same way, I say;\
She is not dead, she is just away.

Away


Time will not dim the face I love,\
The voice I heard each day,\
The many things you did for me,\
In your own special way.\
All my life I’ll miss you,\
As the years come and go,\
But in my heart I’ll keep you,\
Because I love you so.

Because I love you so


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 suffer\
And saw you fade away,\
Although we loved you dearly\
We could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,\
Hard working hands at rest,\
God broke our hearts to prove\
He only takes the best.

It’s lonesome here without you,\
We miss you more each day,\
Life doesn’t seem the same\
Since you’ve gone away.

When days are sad and lonely\
And everything goes wrong,\
We seem to hear you whisper\
‘Cheer up and carry on.’

Each time we see your picture,\
You seem to smile and say,\
‘Don’t cry, I’m in God’s keeping;\
We’ll meet again someday.’

You never said ‘I’m leaving’,\
You never said goodbye,\
You were gone before we knew it,\
And only God knew why.\
A million times we needed you,\
A million times we cried,\
If love alone could have saved you,\
You never would have died.

In life we loved you dearly,\
In death we love you still ,\
In our hearts you hold a place,\
That no one could ever fill.

It broke our hearts to lose you,\
But you didn’t go alone,\
For part of us went with you,\
The day God took you home.

Come with Me


Death is nothing at all.\
It does not count.\
I have only slipped away into the next room.\
Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.\
I am I, and you are you,\
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.\
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.\
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.\
Put no difference into your tone.\
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.\
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.\
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.\
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.\

Life means all that it ever meant.\
It is the same as it ever was.\
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.\
What is this death but a negligible accident?

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 round the corner.

All is well.\
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.\
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Death is nothing at all


Death is only an old door\
set in a garden wall.\
On quiet hinges it gives at dusk,\
when the thrushes call.\
Along the lintel are green leaves,\
beyond, the light lies still;\
Very weary and willing feet\
go over that sill.\
There is nothing to trouble any heart,\
nothing to hurt at all.\
Death is only an old door\
in a garden wall.

Death is only an old door


Don't cry for me now I have died, for I'm still here, I'm by your side,\
My body's gone but my soul is here, please don't shed another tear,\
I am still here, I'm all around; only my body lies in the ground.\
I am the snowflake that kisses your nose,\
I am the frost, that nips your toes.\
I am the sun, bringing you light,\
I am the star, shining so bright.\
I am the rain, refreshing the earth,\
I am the laughter, I am the mirth.\
I am the bird, up in the sky,\
I am the cloud that's drifting by.\
I am the thoughts inside your head,\
While I'm still there, I can't be dead.

Don't cry for me


I went to a funeral today.\
Someone who obviously knew the family well\
Stood to ‘say a few words’.
 
Well, the lady in the coffin was hardly recognisable!\
She’d been so unbelievably good at everything\
It’s a wonder anyone liked her at all.
 
So don’t make me a hero when I’m gone.
 
There’ll be good things about me to miss\
And some not so good, which you’ll be better off without\
So keep things in balance.
 
Whatever you do, have a laugh.\
I’ve loved tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks\
Tummy aching with hilarity\
Always made me feel better about things.
 
So have a good laugh\
It’ll do you good –\
And don’t make me a hero when I’m gone.

Don't make me a hero when I'm gone


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’s 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.

Do not stand at my grave and weep


To everything there is a season,\
A time for every purpose under heaven:\
A time to be born, And a time to die;\
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;\
A time to kill, And a time to heal;\
A time to break down, And a time to build up;\
A time to weep, And a time to laugh;\
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;\
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;\
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;\
A time to gain, And a time to lose;\
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;\
A time to tear, And a time to sew;\
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;\
A time to love, And a time to hate;\
A time of war, And a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8


As each star comes out to shine\
As the wind rustles across the land\
As the moonlight sweeps across the room\
I’m thinking of you.

When the sun burns its morning greeting\
When the birds chirp and swoop through the sky\
When the leaves of the trees dance through the air\
I’m thinking of you.

During the haze of late afternoon sun\
During the smooth swirl and flow of the clouds across the sky\
During the fade of the bustling day\
I’m thinking of you.

While the twilight shadows begin to fall\
While the evening air begins to chill\
While the crickets begin their sweet evening chorus\
I’m thinking of you.

Just as the darkest hour of the night falls\
Just as the world is hushed and silent\
Just as dreamland beckons,\
I’m thinking of you.

Every day\
Every hour\
Every moment\
I’m thinking of you through the miles\
and loving you.


Every moment


Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,\
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,\
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum\
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let airplanes circle moaning overhead\
Scribbling on the sky the message "He is Dead",\
Put Crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,\
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,\
My working week and my Sunday-rest,\
My noon, my midnight, my talk , my song;\
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;\
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;\
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood,\
For nothing now can ever come to any good.


Funeral Blues


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 whispered, ‘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.

God's garden


Don’t think of her/him as gone away,\
Her/His journey’s just begun,\
Life holds so many facets;\
This earth is only one.\
Just think of her/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 she/he must be wishing\
That we could know today\
How nothing but our sadness\
Can really pass away.\
And think of her/him as living\
In the hearts of those she/he touched,\
For nothing loved is ever lost.\
And she/he was loved so much.

Gone but not forgotten


I thought I’d better let you know\
The reason I’ve gone missing.\
I’m where there’s ten pound angel fish:\
That’s right, I’ve just gone fishing.

A man named Peter at the gates\
Asked if I had permission;\
My angler’s license got me in,\
And now I’m happy fishing.

The waters here are crystal clear,\
Just like the River Severn,\
You get a bite at every cast\
In this lovely River Heaven.

My old dad’s casting by my side,\
And my dear mum I’m a kissing.\
Don’t worry, all, I’m happy here:\
I’ve simply just gone fishing.

Gone fishing


I am standing on the sea shore.\
A Ship sails and spreads her white sails to the morning breeze\
And starts for the ocean. 

She is an object of beauty\
And I stand watching her till at last\
She fades on the horizon,\
And someone at my side says,\
"She is gone."\
Gone where?\
Gone from my sight,\
That is all. 

She is just as large in the masts, hull and spars\
As she was when I saw her,\
And just as able to bear her load of living freight\
To its destination. 

The diminished size and total loss of sight\
Is in me, not in her. 

And just at the moment\
When someone at my side says, "She is gone,"\
There are others who are watching her coming,\
And other voices take up a glad shout,\
"There she comes,"\
And that is dying.

Gone from my sight


It’s true that no one can live forever.\
We all have to pass away one day –\
But I didn’t expect death would separate us\
Until we were quite old and grey.

Heaven called you and you beckoned\
As you took your very last breath.\
You were snatched out of my loving arms,\
How unfair and cruel is death?

We had the rest of our lives ahead of us,\
The plans and dreams we made,\
But you’ve left me now for Heaven’s shores –\
How deeply my heart grieves and aches.

You may be taken from my arms\
But could never be taken from my heart.\
You were such a wonderful man\
And we shared a special love in life.

I know you would have stayed on earth\
If you had the power to.\
I know you’d have spared me the grief and pain – \
If only you could.

I trust you are resting in a perfect place.\
You were such an incredible man.\
You’re truly unforgettable – \
My love, my friend, my husband.

Gone too soon, dear husband


Not, how did they die, but how did they live?\
Not, what did they gain, but what did they give?\
These are the units to measure the worth\
Of a person as a person, regardless of birth.\
Not, what was their church, nor what was their creed?\
But had they befriended those really in need?\
Were they ever ready, with a word of good cheer,\
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?\
Not, what did the sketch in the newspaper say,\
But how many were sorry when they passed away?


How did they live?


Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free,\
I’m following the path God laid for me.\
I took His hand when I heard Him call,\
I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day, to laugh,\
To love, to work or play.\
Tasks undone must stay that way\
I’ve found that peace at the close of the day.

If 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 for 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 hearts and share with me,\
God wants me now, He set me free.

I am free


If I should go tomorrow\
It would never be goodbye,\
For I have left my heart with you,\
So don't you ever cry.\
The love that's deep within me,\
Shall reach you from the stars,\
You'll feel it from the heavens,\
And it will heal the scars.

If I should go tomorrow


If you can keep your head when all about you\
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,\
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,\
But make allowance for their doubting too;\
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,\
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,\
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,\
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;\
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;\
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster\
And treat those two impostors just the same;\
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken\
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,\
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,\
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings\
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,\
And lose, and start again at your beginnings\
And never breathe a word about your loss;\
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew\
To serve your turn long after they are gone,\
And so hold on when there is nothing in you\
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,\
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,\
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,\
If all men count with you, but none too much;\
If you can fill the unforgiving minute\
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,\
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,\
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!


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.

I'm there inside your heart


You are at peace, your soul at rest,\
But that won’t stop the tears,\
As I remember the special times\
We shared over the years.\
You taught me oh so many things\
And you showed me the way.\
You helped me overcome hard times\
To be the person I am today.\
Though I am no longer a child\
And you’re no longer here,\
I’ll never let go of the memories,\
I’ll always hold them dear.

In loving memory, dad


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 heart.

In our hearts


Sometime when you think you are important\
Sometime when your ego’s in bloom\
Sometime when you take it for granted\
You’re the best qualified man in the room

Sometime when you feel that your going\
Would leave an unfillable hole\
Just follow this simple instruction\
And see how it humbles your soul –

Take a bucket and fill it with water\
Put your hands in it up to your wrists\
Pull them out – and the hole that remains\
Is a measure of how you’ll be missed

You may splash all you please when you enter\
You may stir up the water galore\
But stop and you’ll find in a minute\
That it looks just the same as before

The moral of this is quite simple\
Just do the best that you can\
Be proud of yourself – but remember\
There is no indispensable man.

Indispensible man


It is a short journey from birth until death.\
Seek to enjoy the journey as much as you can.\
Savour the scenery and the people you meet en-route, for it is all there is.

It was a short journey


It was a sudden parting,\
Too bitter to forget,\
Those who loved you dearly,\
Are the ones who can’t forget.\
We often sit and think of you,\
And think of how you died;\
To think you could not say goodbye,\
Before you closed your eyes.\
Your life was one of kindly deeds,\
A helping hand for others’ needs,\
Sincere and true in heart and mind,\
Beautiful memories left behind.\
The blow was hard, the shock severe,\
To part with one we loved so dear,\
Our loss is great, we’ll not complain\
But trust in God to meet again.\
Two tired eyes are sleeping,\
Two willing hands are still,\
The one who worked so hard for us,\
Is resting at God’s will.\
Our family chain is broken,\
Nothing seems the same,\
But as God calls us one by one\
The links shall join again.

It was a sudden parting


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 for 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 each must go alone.\
It's all part of the master plan,\
A step on the road to home.\
When you are lonely and sick at heart,\
Go to the friends we know.\
Laugh at all the things we used to do;\
Miss me, but let me go.

Let me go


We do not need a special day to bring you to our minds.\
The days we do not think of you are very hard to find.

Each morning when we awake we know that you are gone.\
And no one knows the heartache as we try to carry on.

Our hearts still ache with sadness and secret tears still flow.\
What it meant to lose you no one will ever know.

Our thoughts are always with you, your place no one can fill.\
In life we loved you dearly; in death we love you still.

There will always to be a heartache, and often a silent tear.\
But always a precious memory of the days when you were here.

If tears would make a staircase, and heartaches make a lane,\
We’d walk the path to heaven and bring you home again.

We hold you close within our hearts; and there you will remain,\
To walk with us throughout our lives until we meet again.

Our family chain is broken now, and nothing seems the same,\
But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.

Memories of dad


No one knew the torment,\
that you were going through;\
We only kept on seeing\
What we really wanted to.

We saw the outward smile,\
but not your inner pain;\
We never really dreamt,\
That you would never smile again.

Forgive us if we failed to see,\
What we could do to aid;\
Or if we failed to comprehend,\
How much you were afraid.

We pray your mental anguish,\
Will now forever cease;\
And that your deep anxieties,\
Will be replaced by peace.

We know your pain invaded,\
Every single thought you had;\
It made you cry internally,\
And deeply, deeply sad.

But we in turn remember,\
The good times, not the bad;\
We remember when you smiled at us,\
And not when you were sad.

So when we think about your life,\
We won’t dwell upon its close;\
We’ll remember all the good times,\
And forget about life’s blows.

We’ll remember all the happiness,\
The joy and not the tears;\
The assurance and the confidence,\
And not irrational fears.

Our lives have all been better,\
Because you have been there;\
So now we leave your memory,\
In God’s all-loving care.

No one knew the torment


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 now,\
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.

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.

One at rest


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.

Pardon me for not getting up


Perhaps if Death is kind, and there can be returning,\
We will come back to earth some fragrant night,\
And take these lanes to find the sea, and bending\
Breathe the same honeysuckle, low and white.

We will come down at night to these resounding beaches\
And the long gentle thunder of the sea,\
Here for a single hour in the wide starlight\
We shall be happy, for the dead are free.

Perhaps if death is kind


Perhaps they are not stars,\
but rather openings in heaven where\
the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us\
to let us know they are happy.

Pounds and ounces


To the living, I am gone,\
To the sorrowful, I will never return,\
To the angry, I was cheated,\
But to the happy, I am at peace,\
And to the faithful, I have never left.\
I cannot speak, but I can listen.\
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.\
So as you stand upon a shore gazing at a beautiful sea,\
As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity,\
Remember me.\
Remember me in your heart:\
Your thoughts, and your memories,\
Of the times we loved,\
The times we cried,\
The times we fought,\
The times we laughed.\
For if you always think of me, I will never have gone.

Remember me


Remember me when I am gone away,\
Gone far away into the silent land;\
When you can no more hold me by the hand,\
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.\
Remember me when no more day by day\
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:\
Only remember me; you understand\
It will be late to counsel then or pray.\
Yet if you should forget me for a while\
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:\
For if the darkness and corruption leave\
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,\
Better by far you should forget and smile\
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Remember


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 will come back\
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.\
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her\
Or you can be full of the love that 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 is 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 would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.


She is gone (he is gone)


The snow arrived unannounced.\
It overwhelmed everything.\
Changed the landscape so it was unrecognizable.\
No one was prepared.\
My grief feels like that snowstorm.\
I feel changed, weighed down by the burden.\
Trying to negotiate the new environment around me,\
Not knowing where I am going,\
Looking for familiar landmarks.\
I feel cold and miserable\
and ill equipped in this new place unvisited before.\
But I know in time the snow will melt\
and return the landscape to some semblance of normality.
And I know in time my grief will diminish,\
and I will find my way forward again,\
back to a world that I recognise, changed, but familiar\
Spring does always come after winter and hope will return


Snow


Our Father in heaven,\
hallowed be your name,\
your kingdom come,\
your will be done,\
on earth as in heaven.\
Give us today our daily bread.\
Forgive us our sins\
as we forgive those who sin against us.\
Lead us not into temptation\
but deliver us from evil.\
For the kingdom, the power,\
and the glory are yours\
now and for ever.\
Amen.


The Lord's prayer - contemporary


Our Father, who art in heaven,\
hallowed be thy name;\
thy kingdom come;\
thy will be done;\
on earth as it is in heaven.\
Give us this day our daily bread.\
And forgive us our trespasses,\
as we forgive those who trespass against us.\
And lead us not into temptation;\
but deliver us from evil.\
For thine is the kingdom,\
the power and the glory,\
for ever and ever.\
Amen.


The Lord's prayer - traditional


Many think it’s wrong, it seems, to talk at all of death.\
Birth is looked on joyously, both are marked by breath.\
The first gasp of an infant child, the last breath of the dying;\
Both of them are nothing more than natures loving sighing.\
To each a start, to each an end, so let there be no tears,\
The chains of life are freed by death, along with doubts and fears.\
So we who have life can touch with love, the lives of those we meet,\
Leaving the souls who have travelled on to sit at the master’s feet.\
For who are we to speculate, that death will not transcend?\
The fear we have of nothingness; that death must be the end.\
So do not think of darkness, when you grieve for those who’ve gone;\
They’re just a little step ahead the road we travel on.


The road we travel on


A rose once grew where all could see,\
Sheltered beside a garden wall.\
And as the days passed swiftly by,\
It spread its branches, straight and tall.

One day a beam of light shone through\
A crevice that had opened wide –\
The rose bent gently toward its warmth,\
Then passed beyond to the other side.

Now, you who deeply feel its loss,\
Be comforted – the rose blooms there –\
Its beauty even greater now,\
Nurtured by God’s own loving care.


The rose beyond the wall


A light went out on Earth for me,\
The day we said goodbye,\
And on that day a star was born,\
The brightest in the sky.\
Reaching through the darkness,\
With its rays of purest white,\
Lighting up the Heavens,\
As it once lit up my life.\
With beams of love to heal
The broken heart you left behind,\
Where always in my memory\
Your lovely star will shine.


The tide recedes


Our loved ones leave behind a light\
That will never dim or fade.\
It’s kept bright by the love we feel\
And the memories we made.

It can warm us like a candle’s glow\
And help bring comfort too,\
And no matter where you go, you’ll find\
It’s always close to you.

And in the darker times, remember –\
In our hearts their light is strong.\
So every time we think of them\
Their memory shines on.

Their light shines on


It’s always those who love the most\
Who most miss the one they love,\
When comes the parting of the ways,\
And clouds loom dark above;\
But tears will pass, your skies will clear\
Then will you smile again,\
And comfort find in memories,\
Which now bring bitter pain.

Those who love


To honour you, I get up every day and take a breath.\
And start another day without you in it.

To honour you, I laugh and love with those who knew your smile\
And the way your eyes twinkled with mischief and secret knowledge.

To honour you, I take the time to appreciate everyone I love.\
I know now there is no guarantee of days or hours spent in their presence.

To honour you, I listen to music you would have liked,\
And sing at the top of my lungs, with the windows rolled down.

To honour you, I take chances, say what I feel, hold nothing back,\
Risk making a fool of myself, dance every dance.

You were my light, my heart, my gift of love from the very highest source.\
So every day I vow to make a difference, share a smile, live, laugh and love.\
Now I live for both of us, so all I do, I do to honour you.

To honour you


When I am gone, release me, let me go.\
I have so many things to see and do,\
You mustn't tie yourself to me with too many tears,\
But be thankful we had so many good years.

I gave you my love, and you can only guess\
How much you've given me in happiness.\
I thank you for the love that you have shown,\
But now it is time I travelled on alone.

So grieve for me a while, if grieve you must,\
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.\
It is only for a while that we must part,\
So treasure the memories within your heart.

I won't be far away for life goes on.\
And if you need me, call and I will come.

Though you can't see or touch me, I will be near.\
And if you listen with your heart, you'll hear,\
All my love around you, soft and clear.

And then, when you come this way alone,\
I'll greet you with a smile and a 'Welcome Home'.

To those whom I love and to those who love me


It’s been so long\
You’ve been away\
Still miss you more\
Than words can say

There’s now a cloud\
Above my head\
Hope you can’t see\
The tears I shed

Some days it’s hard\
To get along\
You know I’m trying\
To be strong

I miss your laugh\
The sound so dear\
The way you joked\
Your constant cheer

If I could have\
Just one more day\
I beg you darling\
Please, please stay

I’d wish you back\
But not in pain\
I’d wish the rainbow\
Not the rain

One day I know\
We’ll meet again\
But it’s so hard\
To wait til then

Wishing the rainbow


It’s been so long\
You’ve been away\
Still miss you more\
Than words can say

There’s now a cloud\
Above my head\
Hope you can’t see\
The tears I shed

Some days it’s hard\
To get along\
You know I’m trying\
To be strong


I miss your laugh\
The sound so dear\
The way you joked\
Your constant cheer


If I could have\
Just one more day\
I beg you darling\
Please, please stay


I’d wish you back\
But not in pain\
I’d wish the rainbow\
Not the rain

One day I know\
We’ll meet again\
But it’s so hard\
To wait til then

Poems