Time

Time is too slow for those who wait,

too swift for those who fear,

too long for those who grieve,

too short for those who rejoice,

but for those who love,

time is eternity.

by Henry Van Dyke

Death by Joyce Grenfell

If I should die 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.

Joyce Grenfell, actress and writer (1910 – 1979)

Is heaven in the yellow pages?

Mummy went to Heaven, but I need her here today,
My tummy hurts and I fell down, I need her right away.
Operator can you tell me how to find her in this book?
Is Heaven in the yellow part, I don’t know where to look.
I think my daddy needs her too, at night I hear him cry.
I hear him call her name sometimes, but I really don’t know why.
Maybe if I call her, she will hurry home to me.
Is Heaven very far away, is it across the sea?
She’s been gone a long, long time. She really needs to come home now!
I really need to reach her but I simply don’t know how.
Help me find the number please, Is it listed under Heaven?
I can’t read these big words, I am only seven.
I’m sorry operator, I didn’t mean to make you cry.
Is your tummy hurting too, or is there something in your eye?
If I call my church maybe they will know.
Mummy said when we need help that’s where we should go.
I found the number to my church tacked up on the wall.
Thank you operator, I’ll give them a call.

 

 by Donna Groleau.

The day God took you home

I’ve been given this to read at a funeral….

You never said I’m leaving
You never said good-bye
You were gone before I knew it
And only God knew why

A million times we’ve needed you,
A million times we’ve cried.
If love alone could’ve 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,
No one else will ever fill.

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

Anon

 

The cost of pain

Nothing can make up for the absence

of someone whom we love,

and it would be wrong to try to find a substitute;

we must simply hold out and see it through.

That sounds very hard at first,

but at the same time it is a great consolation,

 for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled,

preserves the bonds between us.

It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap;

God doesn’t fill it, but on the contrary, he keeps it empty

and so helps us to keep alive our former communion

with each other,

even at the cost of pain.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I did not die

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.

- Anonymous

Update:

I’ve been sent this link: – http://www.businessballs.com/donotstandatmygraveandweep.htm  which means this poem is believed to be by Mary Frye.

Miss me, but let me go

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 must all 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.

 

Anonymous

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…. 

Author unknown…

A friend of mine shared this poem with me and said it helped them when their pet died.

She is Gone

I read this at a funeral recently…

 

She Is Gone

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.

by David Harkins

Funeral Poem

Miss me, but let me go

We’ve known lots of pleasure,

At times endured pain,

We’ve lived in the sunshine

 And walked in the rain.

  

But now we’re separated

And for a time apart,

But I am not alone-

You’re forever in my heart.

 

Death always seems so sudden,

And it is always sure,

But what is oft’ forgotten-

It is not without a cure.

 

There may be times you miss me,

I sort of hope you do,

But smile when you think of me,

For I’ll be waiting for you.

 

Now there’s many things for you to do,

 And lots of ways to grow,

So get busy, be happy,and live your life,

Miss me, but let me go.

  

Anon.