Funeral Verses

Something Beautiful Remains

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

Special Gifts

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.

Thank You Message 1

The …. Family wish to
express their deep appreciation
and shall always remember
your kind and comforting
expressions of sympathy in their
recent sad bereavement.

Thank You Message 2

Of great comfort during
our sorrow were
the expressions of sympathy
conveyed to us in
so many ways.
Your thoughtfulness was
deeply appreciated
and we thank you most
sincerely.

Thank You Message 3

Thank you for the comforting
expressions of sympathy
conveyed to us in so many ways
during our sad bereavement.
Your thoughtfulness
was deeply appreciated.

Thank You Message 4

The family of the late
………………………
wish to thank you sincerely
for your kind
expressions of sympathy
during our sad
bereavement.

Thank You Message 5

Her unconditional love
touched all who knew her.

Please accept our heartfelt thanks
for your cards, floral tributes,
expressions of sympathy and support
during our sad loss.

Thank You Message 6

We thank you most sincerely
for your comforting thoughts
which have been a great support
in this time of sorrow.

Thank You Message 7

The …………. Family wish to
thank you most sincerely for
your attendance here today.

Your expressions of sympathy,
cards and floral tributes are
greatly appreciated in
our time of sorrow.

Thank You Message 8

Her unconditional love
touched all who knew her.

Thank you for sharing this time
with our family.

Thank You Message 9

The family wishes to thank you
most sincerely for your
attendance here today.
Your expressions of sympathy
and support have been a great
comfort to them at this time.

That Man Is A Success

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.

That Woman Is A Success

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.

The Ascending

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

The Broken Chain

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

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.

The Measure of a Man

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.

The Memory of Her Life

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.

The Memory of His Life

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 Ode

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.

Tired And Weary

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.

To All Who Loved Me

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”.

To Mourn Too Long

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.

To Those Whom I Loved

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”.

Togetherness

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

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.

What Is Dying?

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

When I Must Leave You

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 ~

With Tears We Saw You Suffer

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 Came To Us For Just A While

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

You were someone special,
Someone good and true,
You will never be forgotten,
We thought the world of you.