We have assembled a variety of comforting burial readings, poems, odes and expressions of love to help families cope with their loss. Our thanks to all who have been down this path and shared these comforting words. Please pass along additional comfort words that have helped you and your families through this that we may post on this page to share with others.
Perhaps, they
are not stars, but rather openings in Heaven,
Where the love of our lost ones pours down through and shines upon us to let
us know they are happy.
Eskimo Legend
"I have loosed
the bonds of the earth, to sail on the wings of the wind in the presence of my
Creator"
Mark Pederson
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 softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain.
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush.
I am in the graceful rush
of beautiful birds in circling flight.
I am the star shine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom; I am in a quiet room
I am in the birds that sing; I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there; I did not die"
by Mary E. Frye
"Show me the manner in which a nation or community cares for its dead and I
will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people,
their respect for laws of the land and their loyalties to high ideals."
by William Evart Gladstone
"To live in the hearts we leave
behind is not to die."
Thomas Campbell
"We never touch people so lightly that we don't leave a trace"
Peggy Tabor Millin
"The
final resting place I long to be,
Is where the ocean meets the deep blue sea.
There I'll be forever free, Free to be with thee."
"Life is eternal; and love is
immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit
of our sight."
Rossiter W. Raymond
All Is Well
"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."
Henry Scott Holland
God, Take This Child
Sweet child whom we never really
got to know,
It’s hard for us to let you go.
We waited and we wanted you.
We had so many dreams for you.
We think of smiles we’ll never see.
We think of events that will never be.
There will be no first steps and no first teeth.
There is only a void and our own grief.
We planned to take you to places
far and near.
We yearned to keep you safe and free from fear.
We hoped to show you much of your new world.
We wanted to teach you as your life unfurled.
It’s hard to understand why you,
our baby, died.
We feel so numb right now, many tears we’ve cried.
We have so many questions and no answers seem to come.
We tried so hard to save you; nothing could be done.
God, we stand before you broken-hearted
and ask you to heal these lives that must be parted
from this little one we can no longer hold,
who will always be a part of us, even when we’re old.
God, take this child in your loving arms.
No more can he suffer any harm.
Bless him always and bless us too.
Be with us and help us to make it through.
by Nancy Scott
A Child Loaned
God's Garden
God looked around His garden and he found an
empty place;
He then looked down upon the earth and upon 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 that 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 eye lids and whispered,
"Peace be Thane".
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. Rest in Peace.
I cannot promise he will stay
"When I
left this world without you I know it made you blue.
Your tears fell so freely, I watched; I know this is true.
While you were weeping days after I passed away;
While all was
Silent within me, I saw you kneel to pray.
Called Heaven where all my pain is gone,
I send a gentle breeze to whisper,
“My loved ones, please go on”
Little Angels
When God calls little children to dwell with Him above,
We mortals sometime question the wisdom of His love.
For no heartache compares with the death of one small child
Who does so much to make our world, seem wonderful and mild
Perhaps God tires of calling the aged to his fold,
So He picks a rosebud, before it can grow old.
God knows how much we need them, and so He takes but few
To make the land of Heaven more beautiful to view.
Believing this is difficult still somehow we must try,
The saddest word mankind knows will always be "Goodbye."
So when a little child departs, we who are left behind
Must realize God loves children, Angels are hard to find.
Anonymous
Another Little Angels
God sent an angel to the earth...
The sweetest angel too
and for such a tiny little thing,
she had so much to do.
She knew she did not have
much time upon this earth to stay,
so she did not waste a second;
she got started right away.
Her eyes were bright and sparkly,
she took in every turn.
She did not miss a single thing,
because Angel came to learn!
God sent her here to touch the
hearts of those he could not reach...
She taught them courage, strength and faith,
because Angel came to teach.
Her tiny little body
was so full of God above,
you felt it when you held her,
because {name} came to love.
In {number} short months she
managed
what many never will.
When she went home to Jesus,
her purpose was fulfilled.
She learned and taught, loved and
played,
she learned her lessons well.
I know he was so proud of her
when she went home to dwell.
But when I miss her oh-so-much,
I can almost hear him say,
please understand, her work was done...
{name} did not come to stay.
Anonymous
Little Boy Blue
The little toy dog is covered with
dust,
But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog
was new,
And the soldier was passing fair,
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.
"New don’t you go till I come," he
said,
"And don’t you make any noise!"
So, toddling off to his trundle bed,
He dreamt of the pretty toys.
And as he was dreaming, an angel
song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue...
Oh! The years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Aye, faithful to Little Boy Blue
they stand,
Each in the same old place.
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face.
And they wonder
As waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue,
Since he kissed them and put them there.
by Eugene Field
"The thought of eternity consoles for the shortness of life"
Luc de Clapiers
High Flight
"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings. Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun split clouds - and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of; wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air; Up, up the long delirious burning blue I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace, Where never lark nor even eagle flew; And while, with silent lifting mind I've trod The high, un-trespassed sanctity of space Put out my hand and touched the face of God." Fl. Officer John Gillespie McGee ~ 1922-1941"The smallest sprout shows there is really no death, And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at the end to arrest it, And ceased the moment life appeared. All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses, And to die is different from what anyone supposed, and luckier."
Walt Whitman
An Indian Prayer
Creator of life and light,
We pries thee this day for the beauty of thy world,
for sunshine and flowers,
storm-cloud and starry night,
for the radiance of dawn and the last smoldering calm of the sunset.
We thank thee for physical joys,
for the ecstasy of swift motion, for deep water to swim in,
For the goodly smell of rain on dry ground,
for hills to climb and hard work to do,
for all the skill of hand and eye,
for music that lifts our hearts in one breath to heaven,
for the grasp of a friend,
for the gracious loveliness of children,
for all these thy sacraments of beauty and joy,
we thank thee our Lord and God.
One
of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another,
is listen to each other's stories
Rebecca Falls
Old Indian Prayer
Should your blanket be torn,
May your breezes blow warm,
May your pleasure be what you find.
May the burdens you bear
Like your bounty—be shared
May you leave something good behind
May the sky and the land
Rise to your command
May your senses come like the night.
Live in peace with the Earth
As in death—As in birth
May you prosper, and have a good life.
Afternoon in February
The day is ending,
The night is descending;
The marsh is frozen,
The river dead.
Through clouds like ashes
The red sun flashes
On village windows
That glimmer red.
The snow recommences;
The buried fences
Mark no longer
The road o'er the plain;
While through the meadows,
Like fearful shadows,
Slowly passes
A funeral train.
The bell is pealing,
And every feeling
Within me responds
To the dismal knell;
Shadows are trailing,
My heart is bewailing
And tolling within
Like a funeral bell.
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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 most humbly pray,
When in the Lord's safe landing net,
I'm peacefully asleep,
That in his mercy I be judged,
As big enough to keep.
Memory Can Tell Us Only What We Were
Memory can tell us only what we were,
In company with those we loved;
It cannot help us find out what each of us,
Alone, must now become.
Yet, no person is really alone;
Those who live no more still echo
Within our thoughts and words,
And what they did has become
Woven into what we are.
by Richard Fife
Farewell
"Farewell to Thee! But not farewell To all my fondest thoughts of Thee; Within my heart they still shall dwell And they shall cheer and comfort me. Life seems more sweet that Thou didst live And men more true Thou wert one; Nothing is lost that Thou didst give, Nothing destroyed that Thou hast done." Anne Bronte ~ 1820-1849Life Goes On
"If I should go before the rest of you Break not a flower Nor inscribe a stone Nor when I am 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 ~ 1910-1979Indian Prayer
"When I am dead Cry for me a little Think of me sometimes But not too much. Think of me now and again As I was in life At some moments it's pleasant to recall But not for long. Leave me in peace And I shall leave you in peace And while you live Let your thoughts be with the living." Traditional"No
love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some
mark on it forever."
Francois Muriac
Memorial Day
The bugle echoes shrill and sweet,
But not of war it sings to-day.
The road is rhythmic with the feet
Of men-at-arms who come to pray.
The roses blossom white and red
On tombs where weary soldiers lie;
Flags wave above the honored dead
And martial music cleaves the sky.
Above their wreath-strewn
graves we kneel,
They kept the faith and
fought the fight.
Through flying lead and
crimson steel
They plunged for Freedom
and the Right.
May we, their grateful children,
learn
Their strength, who lie
beneath this sod,
Who went through fire
and death to earn
At last the accolade of God.
In shining rank on rank arrayed
They march, the legions of the Lord;
He is their Captain unafraid,
The Prince of Peace...
Who brought a sword.
By Joyce Kilmer
For The Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother
for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death August and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle,
they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe,
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.
They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labor of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our
hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
by Laurence Binyon
Remember
"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 planned: 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." Christina Rossetti ~ 1830-1894Psalm 23
The Lord
is my shepherd: I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green Pastures, he leadeth me beside the still
waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me, thy rod and staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou
anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely, goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord for ever.
To Those Who've Fail'd
To those who’ve fail’d, in aspiration vast,
To unnam’d soldiers fallen in front on the lead,
To calm, devoted engineers – – to over-ardent travelers – – to pilots on their
ships,
To many a lofty song and picture without recognition – – I’d rear laurel-cover’d
monument,
High, high above the rest – – To all cut off before their time,
Possess’d by some strange spirit of fire,
Quench’d by an early death.
by Walt Whitman
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow
wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as
fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
by Robert Frost
"for whatever we lose, like a you or a me, it's always ourselves we find in the sea"
E.E. Cummings
Gates of Prayer
As long as we live, they too will
live;
For they are now a part of us:
As we remember them!
At the rising sun and at its going
down we remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter we remember them.
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring we remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer we remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn we remember
them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends we remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us. As we
remember them.
When we are weary and in need of
strength we remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart we remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make we remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share we remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs we remember them.
For as long as we live, they too will live,
For they are now a part of us, as we remember them.
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night "Do not go gentle into that good night Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked not lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a
But Not Forgotten
"I think no matter where you stray, That I shall go with you a way. Though you may wander sweeter lands, You will not forget my hands, Nor yet the way I held my head Nor the tremulous things I said. You will still see me, small and white And smiling, in the secret night, And feel my arms about you when The day comes fluttering back again. I think, no matter where you be, You'll hold me in your memory And keep my image there without me, By telling later loves about me." Dorothy Parker Living Bouquets "When I quit this mortal shore And mosey 'round this earth no more, Do not weep and do not sob; I may have found a better job. Don't go and buy a large bouquet For which you'll find it hard to pay, Don't mope around and feel all blue; I may be better off than you. Don't tell the folks I was a saint Or any old thing that I ain't. If you have jam like that to spread, Please hand it out before I'm dead. If you have roses bless your soul, Just pin one in my buttonhole While I'm alive and well today; Don't wait until I'm gone away." Mabeel Easley
Dust if you must
"Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better To paint a picture or write a
letter, Bake a cake or plant a seed. Ponder the difference between want and
need. Dust if you must, but there's not much time, With rivers to swim and
mountains to climb, Music to hear and books to read, Friends to cherish and
life to lead. Dust if you must, but the world's out there With the sun in your
eyes, the wind in your hair, A flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day
will not come around again. Dust if you must, but bear in mind, Old age will
come and it's not kind. And when you go and go you must, You, yourself, will
make more dust."
Anonymous
The White Chariot
"During your journey on your final flight home.
White wings will carry you and you will be flown.
To the pearly gates of Heaven, where they will usher you in.
To the feet of your Lord, your Savior, and your friend.
He will hold you in his arms and the angels will sing.
As another one of His children is delivered by white wings."
Julie Johnson
We cover thee, sweet face
We cover thee, sweet face.
Not that we tire of thee,
But that thyself fatigue of us;
Remember, as thou flee,
We follow thee until
Thou notice us no more,
And then, reluctant, turn away
To con thee o'er and o'er,
And blame the scanty love
We were content to show,
Augmented, sweet, a hundred fold
If thou would'st take it now.
By Emily Dickinson
Till the end
I should not dare to leave my
friend,
Because – because if he should die
While I was gone, and I – too late–
Should reach the heart that wanted me;
If I should disappoint the eyes
That hunted, hunted so, to see,
And could not bear to shut until
They "noticed" me – they noticed me;
If I should stab the patient faith
So sure I ’d come – so sure I ’d come,
It listening, listening, went to sleep
Telling my tardy name, –
My heart would wish it broke
before,
Since breaking then, since breaking then,
Were useless as next morning’s sun,
Where midnight frosts had lain!
By Emily Dickinson
Memorials
Death sets a thing significant
The eye had hurried by,
Except a perished creature
Entreat us tenderly
To ponder little workmanships
In crayon or in wool,
With "This was last her fingers did,"
Industrious until
The thimble weighed too heavy,
The stitches stopped themselves,
And then ’t was put among the dust
Upon the closet shelves.
A book I have, a friend gave,
Whose pencil, here and there,
Had notched the place that pleased him, – –
At rest his fingers are.
Now, when I read, I read not,
For interrupting tears
Obliterate the etchings
Too costly for repairs.
by Emily Dickinson
The Final Flight
"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 his call,
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to work, to play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way,
I've found that peace at the end of the 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 too I will 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."
Anonymous
To Those Whom I Love And Those Who Love Me
"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 that I have 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 each have shown
But now it is time I traveled 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 in 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 will be near
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 welcome you home again"
What is a Mum?
"A mum is one of life's best gifts,
Someone to treasure all life through,
She's caring and loving,
Thoughtful and true,
Someone who is always a special part of your life,
Someone who holds a prime place in your heart,
She's a mentor, a confident and also a friend,
Someone on whose love you can depend.
A mum always has your best interests at heart,
She's someone so dear and so good,
She's a blessing, she's a gift,
She's a treasure like no other,
She's someone that is truly wonderful.
Wherever you go, and whatever you do,
A mum’s love will always see you through,
A mum is truly invaluable,
Indispensable and unforgettable.
I wouldn't want anyone but you,
And that's why I'm so grateful,
that life picked you for me."
As We Look Back.
"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 judgment,
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."
Farewell My Friend
It was beautiful as long as it
lasted
The journey of my life.
I have no regrets whatsoever
save the pain I'll leave behind.
Those dear hearts who love and care...
And the strings pulling at the heart and soul...
The strong arms that held me up
When my own strength let me down.
At every turning of my life I came across good friends,
Friends who stood by me,
Even when the time raced me by.
Farewell, farewell my friends
I smile and bid you goodbye.
No, shed no tears for I need them not
All I need is your smile.
If you feel sad do think of me
for that's what I'll like when you live in the hearts
of those you love, remember then
you never die.
by Rabindranath Tagore
Legacy of Love.
"A wife, a mother, a grandma too,
This is the legacy we have from you.
You taught us love and how to fight,
You gave us strength, you gave us might.
A stronger person would be hard to find,
And in your heart, you were always kind.
You fought for us all in one way or another,
Not just as a wife not just as a mother.
For all of us you gave your best,
Now the time has come for you to rest.
So go in peace, you've earned your sleep,
Your love in our hearts, we'll eternally keep."
Not, How Did He Die, But How Did
He Live?
"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 church, nor what was his creed?
But had he befriended those really in need?
Was he ever ready, with 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 he passed away."
Because You Have Lived.
"To laugh often and much.
To win the respect of intelligent people, and
the affection of children.
To earn the appreciation of honest critics.
To appreciate beauty.
To find the best in others.
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
or a garden patch.
To know even one life has breathed easier because you
have lived.
This is to have succeeded."
Grandmother.
"We had a wonderful grandmother,
One who never really grew old;
Her smile was made of sunshine,
And her heart was solid gold;
Her eyes were as bright as shining stars,
And in her cheeks fair roses you see.
We had a wonderful grandmother,
And that' s the way it will always be.
But take heed, because
She's still keeping an eye on all of us,
So let's make sure
She will like what she sees."
Sorrow.
"If your sorrow can be lessened,
In some warm and special way,
By knowing that so many share,
In your loss with you today.
And if it brings you comfort,
When others show they care,
Please know that thoughts are with you,
And remember they are there. "
Bert Page
Word.
"There is a word, of grief the sounding token.
There is a word bejeweled with bright tears.
The saddest word fond lips have ever spoken,
A little word that breaks the chain of years.
Its utterance must ever bring emotion,
The memories it crystals cannot die.
‘Tis known in every land, on every ocean,
It is Goodbye."
A Dream
"I dreamed in a dream I saw a city invincible
to the whole of the rest of the earth.
I dreamed that was the new city of friends.
Nothing was greater there than the quality
of robust love.
It led the rest.
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men
of that city and in all their looks and words."
Silent Tear.
"Each night we shed a silent tear,
As we speak to you in prayer.
To let you know we love you,
And just how much we care.
Take our million teardrops,
Wrap them up in love,
Then ask the wind to carry them,
To you in heaven above."
An Angel In Disguise
"If an angels wings are forever hidden,
beneath two arms that wrap with care;
And a vibrant halo glows within,
a tender spirit shining there.
If the melody of a blessed harp
is found in the warmest voice,
and an unconditional love is sewn,
in to your each and every choice.
If the laughter of a cherub rings,
when you have brightened someone's day
And pure heavens found in every smile,
you felt need to send this way.
If an angels gown of flowing white
is shielding from all eyes.
At once I knew when I saw you,
I spied an angel in disguise."
A Message for Mum
"God looked around his garden
And saw an empty space.
He then looked down upon this earth
And saw your smiling face.
God's garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
For an unknown reason he took you
up to heaven, and shielded you with grace.
It broke our hearts to see you go,
But you did not go alone.
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home."
"With you a part of me hath passed away;
For in the peopled forest of my mind
A tree made leafless by this wintry wind
Shall never don again its green array.
Chapel and fireside, country road and bay,
Have something of their friendliness resigned;
Another, if I would, I could not find,
And I am grown much older in a day.
But yet I treasure in my memory
Your gift of charity, and young hearts ease,
And the dear honor of your amity;
For these once mine, my life is rich with these.
And I scarce know which part may greater be,
– What I keep of you, or you rob from me."
By George Santayana
Psalm 23, Mariner's Version
The Lord is my Pilot;
I shall not drift.
He leadeth me across the dark waters
and steereth me in the deep channels.
He keepeth my Log
and guideth me by the star of holiness
for His Name's sake.
Yea, though I sail amid
the thunders and tempests of life,
I shall dread no danger,
For Thou art with me;
Thy love and Thy care, they shelter
me.
Thou preparest a harbor before me
in the homeland of eternity;
Thou anointest the waves with oil,
and my ship rideth calmly,
Surely sunlight and starlight
shall favor me all the days of my voyaging,
and I will rest in the port of my Lord forever.
Captain J. Rogers
Psalm 23, Nautical Version
The Lord is my Pilot, my ship is
well stored.
He steereth me into the harbors of abundance
and guides my feet to the broad straight streets of port cities.
Yea, though the tempest rages
I shall not be afraid
for He knoweth the ways of the sea
and the strength of each ship launched upon the ocean of life.
His compass and His steering wheel are true.
He followeth the star which lights the way to the shores of immortal life.
My voyage has led me amongst
pirates at sea
and buccaneers ashore,
but my ship and its captain have survived perils on land and on sea.
I have faith that favorable winds and calm seas will be our lot
so long as the voyage lasts, and that
I shall meet the Supreme Port Captain in the harbor of life eternal.
American Seamen, Vol. V,
Nos. 3 & 4, Summer-Fall 1945
Suitable scripture & other well known
pieces
Questions From A Worker Who Reads - by Bertolt Brecht.
Corinthians I - Chapter 13.
Suitable Verses from Psalm 103 - The Lord Is Full of Compassion and Mercy.
Footprints.
Psalm 121 - I lift up my eyes to the hills.
John 6. 37-40 All that the Father gives me will come to me.
Psalm 90 -Lord You Have been Our Refuge.
If by Rudyard Kipling.
John 14. 1-6, 27 Let not your hearts be troubled.
Desiderata by Emerson Clymer.
For The Fallen(Sept 1914) - Laurence Binyon.
The Lord's Prayer.
Prayer of Thanks.
Romans 14. 7-12 No one of us lives, and equally no one of us dies.
Romans 8. 18,28,35 & 37 -39 I consider that the sufferings of this present
time etc.
A Late Lark Twitters From The Quiet Skies - W.E. Henley.
Revelation 21. 1-4 & 22. 3-5 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
Look To This Day - Sanskrit Text.
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