I’m Free
Don’t grieve for me now, I’m free
I’m following the path God laid for me.
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 left undone must stay that way
I’ve found my peace 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’ve savored 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, He set me free.
CROSSING THE BAR
Sunset and evening star,
and one clear call for me
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
when I put out to sea.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the
boundless deep turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
and after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
when I embark.
For tho’ from out our bourne of time and
place the flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
when I have crossed the bar.
Beyond Life’s Gateway
There’s an open gate at the end of the road
Through which each must go alone And there in a light we cannot see
Our Father claims His own
Beyond the gate your loved one
Finds happiness and rest
in the thought
That a loving God knows best.
Gone But Not Forgotten
A precious one from us has gone,
A voice we loved is stilled:
A place is vacant in our home,
Which can never be filled,
God in His wisdom has recalled,
And the boon his love has given,
And though the body slumbers here,
The soul is safe in heaven.
FISHERMAN’S PRAYER
God grant that I may live to fish
until my dying day,
and when it comes to my last cast
I then must humbly pray.
When in the Lord’s safe landing net
I’m peacefully asleep.
That in His mercy, I be judged
good enough to keep.
ONE SET OF FOOTPRINTS
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along a beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. In 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 had flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints and noticed many times along the path there was only one set of footprints in the sand. He also noticed this happened during the lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk all the way, but I noticed that during the most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed you most, you deserted me.” The Lord replied, “My Precious child, I love you and 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.”
Our Mom is always with us.
She is the whisper of the leaves as we walk down the street.
She is the smell of certain foods we remember,
flowers we pick and perfume that she wore.
She is the cool hand on our brow when we are not feeling well.
She is our breath in the air on a cold winter’s day.
She is the sound of the rain that lulls us to sleep and the colors of a rainbow.
She is Christmas morning.
Our mom lives inside our laughter and she is crystallized in every tear drop.
A mom shows every emotion: Happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrow… and all the while, hoping and praying we will know only the good feelings in life. She is our greatest protector.
She is the place we came from, our first home and she is the map we follow with every step we take.
She is our first love, our first friend, even our first enemy; but nothing on earth can separate us. Not time, not space….not even death
Faith Goes Beyond What We Can See
A stream can have no ending,
For the ocean never ends,
A path winds on, though we can’t
always see around it’s bends,
Our view must stop where earth meets sky,
But both stretch on and on,
We cannot see our loved ones,
Still, we know they are not gone-
For God has promised us a home
Through all eternity,
Where life and love continue
Far beyond what we can see.
-Mary Dawson Hughes
I give you this one thought to keep
I give you this one thought to keep
I am with you still. 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.
So not think of me as gone
I am with you still
in each new dawn.
A Cherokee Prayer Blessing
May the warm winds of heaven
Blow softly upon your house
May the Great Spirit
Bless all who enter there
May your moccasins
Make happy tracks
in many snows
and may the rainbow
Always touch your shoulder
Grant me
Grant me the quietness to see
in the things of this world,
however small or large,
however violent or calm,
the grace and blessedness
of Your design.
Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rain fall soft upon your fields
And, Until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
When God sends forth a tiny soul
When God sends forth a tiny soul
To learn the ways of earth,
A mother’s love is waiting here
We call this wonder birth.
When God calls home a little soul
And stills a fleeting breath,
A Father’s love is waiting there,
This too is birth, not death.
Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree.
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night.
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle’s flight.
Then God combined these qualities,
There was nothing more to add,
His masterpiece was now complete,
He lovingly called it, Dad.
A Mother’s Love
A mother’s love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away.
To us, you will exist in the flowers
and in the trees,
And in all things of nature
that God has given me
You are in a world of peace,
In happiness forever
In God’s eternal garden
Where we will join together.
Do Not Stand at My Grave & Weep
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 Saw Him
God saw him getting tired
and a cure was not to be
So he put His arms around him
and whispered come with me.
With tearful eyes we
watched him suffer
and saw him fade away,
Although we loved him dearly
we could not make him stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
hardworking hands laid to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove
He only takes the best.
We wanted so much to keep you,
We watched you day by day.
Until at last with breaking hearts,
We saw you slip away.
You wore a crown of patience,
As you struggled on and on.
And the hands that rest forever,
Were the hands that were so strong.
God watched you while you suffered,
And He knew you had your share.
He tenderly closed your weary eyes,
and took you in His care.
May You Always Walk in Sunshine
“May you always walk in sunshine, and God’s love around you flow.
For the happiness you gave us, no one will ever know.
It broke our hearts to lose you, the day God called you home.
A million times we’ve needed you, a million times we’ve cried.
If love could only have saved you, you never would have died.”
“May you always walk in sunshine, and God’s love around you flow.
For the happiness you gave us, no one will ever know.
It broke our hearts to lose you, the day God called you home.
A million times we’ve needed you, a million times we’ve cried.
If love could only have saved you, you never would have died.”
“May you always walk in sunshine, and God’s love around you flow.
For the happiness you gave us, no one will ever know.
It broke our hearts to lose you, the day God called you home.
A million times we’ve needed you, a million times we’ve cried.
If love could only have saved you, you never would have died.”
Our Little Angel
Our Little Angel will always be
A precious gift and memory.
Our time’s been brief, our hours few,
But through the tears and burdens great
Our prayers for strength will emanate.
A glimmer of hope will show the way
For us to go on from day to day.
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 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 hold you near;
And never, never be afraid to die,
For I am waiting for you in the sky!
There comes a time for all of us
When we must say good-bye,
But faith and hope and love and trust
Can never, never die.
Although the curtain falls at last
Is that a cause to grieve?
The future’s fairer than the past
If only we believe.
Trust in God’s eternal care–
So when the Master calls
Let’s say that life is still more fair
Although the curtain falls.
As you hold me close in memory,
even though we are apart,
my spirit will live on
in the heaven of your heart…
I am with you always.
When you lean on trusted friends
and their caring hugs enfold you,
within their loving arms
I will also hold you.
I am with you always.
The Weaver
My life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me
I cannot choose the colors,
He worketh steadily.
Oft-times He weaveth sorrow
And I, in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent,
And the shuttles cease to fly
shall God unroll the canvas,
And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the thread of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing the truth can dim
He gives His very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.
-Author Unknown
Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep
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
Now the laborer’s task is o’er;
Now the battle day is past;
Now upon the farther shore
Lands the voyager at last.
Father, in thy gracious keeping,
Leave we now thy servant sleeping.
“Earth to earth and dust to dust,”
Calmly now the words we say,
Left behind, we wait in trust
For the resurrection day.
Father, in thy gracious keeping,
Leave we now thy servant sleeping.
-John Ellerton
Togetherness
Death is nothing at all. I have only
slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other,
we still are. Call me by my old
familiar name. Speak to me in the
same easy way you always have.
Laugh as we always laughed at the
little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it always was. There
is absolute 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 has been lost. One brief moment,
and all will be as it was before-only better.
Infinitely happier. We will be one, together forever.
By Kevin Healy
Christ’s presence is here among us.
He reaches down His consoling hand
He is here beside us. But, most of
all, He wants us to know that He
has not taken our loved one. He
has given back that fullness of
life promised… and one day, he
will give our loved one back to us.
Dying, you destroyed our death,
Rising, you restored our life.
The Clock of Life
The clock of life is wound but once,
and no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour,
Now is the only time you own,
Live, love toil with a will,
Place no faith in “tomorrow” for
The hands may then be still.
A Limb Fallen
A limb has fallen
from our family tree
I keep hearing a voice that says,
“Grieve not for me
Remember the best times,
the laughter, the song.
The good life I lived
while I was strong.
Continue my heritage
I’m counting on you,
Keep smiling and surely
the sun will shine through.
My mind is at ease,
my soul at rest,
Remembering all
how I truly was blessed.
Continue traditions
no matter how small
Go on with your life,
don’t just stare at the wall.
I miss you all dearly,
so keep up your chin
Until the day comes
we’re together again.”
Mother, You Mean So Much to Me
There are so many words
I could try to say to you
to let you know
how much you mean to me,
but really
the two most important feelings
I want you to know are…
“Thank you”
for all your love,
and
“I love you”
with all my heart.
-Deanna Beisser –
Heavens Gate
Sadly we stand outside the Heavenly Gate
Left behind to work to watch and wait.
Loved ones pass through as life may will,
Though out of sight their spirits with us still.
They watch us as we wipe away the tears;
Stand beside us as we progress through the years.
From the other side they anxiously await
The time we join them through the Heavenly Gate.
-F. Fairbanks
A Bright New World
We feel so sad when those we love
Are touched by death’s dark hand,
But it would ease our sorrow
If we could but understand
That death is just a gateway
That all men must pass through
And on the other side of death,
In a world that’s bright and new,
Our loved ones wait to welcome us
To that land free from all tears
Where joy becomes eternal
And time is not counted by years.
It’s difficult when someone
Who is loved cannot be there,
But memories that are made and shared
Will keep a loved one near.
And God, with loving wisdom,
Will be there to guide us through;
He’ll help us meet tomorrow
And He’ll give us strength anew.
Safely Home
I am home in Heaven, dear ones;
Oh, so happy and so bright!
There is perfect joy and beauty
In this ever lasting light.
All the pain and grief is over,
Every restless tossing passed;
I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in Heaven at last.
Did you wonder I so calmly
Trod the valley of the shade?
Oh! but Jesus’ love illuminated
Ever dark and fearful glade.
And He came Himself to meet me
In that way so hard to tread;
And with Jesus’ arm to lean on,
Could I have one doubt or dread?
Then you must not grieve so sorely;
For I love you dearly still;
Try to look beyond earth’s shadows,
Pray to trust our Father’s Will
There is work still waiting for you,
So you must not idle stand;
Do it now, while life remaineth–
You shall rest in Jesus’ land.
When that work is all completed,
He will gently call you home;
Oh, the rapture of the meeting,
Oh, the joy to see you come!
Merry Christmas from Heaven
I still hear the songs, I still see the lights.
I still feel your love on cold wintry nights.
I still share your hopes and all of your cares, I’ll even remind you to please say your prayers.
I just want to tell you, you make me proud, You stand head and shoulders above the crowd.
Keep trying each moment to stay in His Grace. I came before you to help set your place.
You don’t have to be perfect all of the time. He forgives you the slip if you continue the climb.
To my family and friends please be thankful today. I’m still close beside you, in a new special way.
I love you all dearly, now don’t shed a tear Cause I’m spending my Christmas with Jesus this year.
If tomorrow starts without me,
and I’m not there to see,
If the sun should rise,
and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me;
I wish so much you wouldn’t cry
the way you did today,
While thinking of
the many things,
We didn’t get to say.
I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time that
you think of me,
I know you’ll miss me too;
But when tomorrow
starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came
and called my name,
And took me by the hand.
I’m Free
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 left undone must stay that way.
I found that peace at close of day.
If my parting has left a void,
then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss.
Oh yes, these things I too shall miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow.
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I savored 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.
He set me free.
The Last Voyage
I am standing on the seashore. A ship at
my side spreads her white sails to morning
breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an
object of beauty and strength.
Then someone at my side says,
“There! She’s gone!”
Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and
spar as she was when she left my side.
She is just as able to bear her load of living weight to
her destined harbor.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side
says, There! She’s gone!
There are other eyes watching her coming.
Other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
“There she comes!”
His Transition is complete
A Polka Lover’s Prayer
Lord, I love to do the polka
The happy music can’t be beat
When I hear that snappy rhythm
Wings seem to grow upon my feet
When my time here is up they can play a polka
No sad organ music for me
No tears, no flowers
Just polka music
And I’ll come dancing
Lord to thee
Amen
To my Children
Be not sorrowful that I am gone
And my earthly life is done
Be not sad I passed away
For in you, my children,
I live each day
There is a little of me
In all of you,
In each new one I live anew
So you see,
I’ll never really be gone
As long as there are children
To carry on
I’ve had my share of
Love, sorrow and strife
I have lived a full and fruitful life
So do not mourn
And do not weep
For I have earned
This peaceful sleep
“Just a farmer”
“Just a farmer”, you said, and I laughed ‘cause I knew
All the things that farmers must be able to do.
They must study the land, then watch the sky
And figure just when is the right time and why.
To sow and to plant, to buy and to sell,
To go to market with cattle and well…
You know the books that farmers must keep
To pay all those taxes and be able to sleep.
And you know the fixin’ that farmers must do
When machines like mad monsters break a gasket or two.
I guess when God needed folks to care for this earth
He chose “just farmers” ‘cause he knew their true worth.
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 rite 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 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 are lonely
and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know
And bury your sorrows
in doing good deeds
Miss me – but let me go
God saw him getting tired
and a cure was not to be
So he put His arms around him
and whispered come with me.
With tearful eyes we
watched him suffer
and saw him fade away,
Although we loved him dearly
we could not make him stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
hardworking hands laid to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove
He only takes the best.
We wanted so much to keep you,
We watched you day by day.
Until at last with breaking hearts,
We saw you slip away.
You wore a crown of patience,
As you struggled on and on.
And the hands that rest forever,
Were the hands that were so strong.
God watched you while you suffered,
And He knew you had your share.
He tenderly closed your weary eyes,
and took you in His care.
Lent Child
I’ll lend you for a little while
A child of mine, said God.
For you to love the while he lives
And mourn for when he’s dead.
It may be six or seven years
Or forty two or three,
But will you, till I call him back,
Take care of him for me?
He’ll bring his charm to gladden you
And should his stay be brief-
You’ll have his lovely memories
As a solace for your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay
Since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught below
I want this child to learn.
I’ve looked the whole world over
In my search for teachers true,
And from the things that crowd
life’s lane, I chose you.
Now will you give him all your love?
Nor think the labor vain;
Nor hate him when I come to take
This lent child back again?
I fancied that I heard him say-
“Dear Lord, thy will be done,”
For all the love the child will bring
The risk of grief – we’ll run,
We will shelter him with tenderness,
We’ll love him while we may
And for the happiness we’ve known
Forever grateful stay.
But should Thy Angels call for him
Much sooner than we’ve planned
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes
And we’ll try to understand.
He’s Only Gone On
At last his gallant soul
‘TOOK FLIGHT’
Into the ‘LAND
WHERE THERE IS NO NIGHT’…
But his name is CARVED
in OUR HEARTS to stay
As we think of the things
that he used to say…
So he is not dead,
he’s only ‘GONE ON’
Into a ‘BRIGHTER,
MORE WONDERFUL DAWN’…
For men like him
were not born to die
But, like the SUN
that shines in the SKY,
They warm the ‘earth’
and the ‘hearts of men’
And in HAPPY REMEMBRANCE
They live again…
So while he sleeps
and his voice is still,
His spirit goes on
The House by the Side of the Road
There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
In the place of their self-content;
There are souls like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze the paths
Where highways never ran-
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by-
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner’s seat
Nor hurl the cynic’s ban-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
and be a friend to man.
I see from my house by the side of the road
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife,
But I turn not away from their smiles and tears,
Both parts of an infinite plan-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead,
And mountains of wearisome height;
That the road passes on through the long afternoon
And stretches away to the night.
And still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice
And weep with the strangers that moan,
Nor live in my house by the side of the road
Like a man who dwells alone.
Let me live in my house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by-
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
Wise, foolish – so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban?
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
-Sam Walter Foss