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 too 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 must all take
And each must go alone
It's all a 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.
- Edgar A. Guest.
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 I once had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
- Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894).
Gone from My Sight
I am standing upon the seashore.
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.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says;
"There, she is 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
and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, "There, she is 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.
- Henry Van Dyke, a 19th Century clergyman, educator, poet, and religious writer.
Requiem
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you gave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill..
- Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894).
Epitaph on a Child
Here, freed from pain, secure from misery, lies
A child, the darling of his parents' eyes:
A gentler Lamb ne'er sported on the plain,
A fairer flower will never bloom again:
Few were the days allotted to his breath;
Now let him sleep in peace his night of death..
- Thomas Gray (1716-177).
To Those I Love
If I should ever leave you, whom I love
To go along the silent way, grieve not.
Nor speak of me with tears.
But laugh and talk of me, as if I were beside you there.
(I'd come, I'd come, could I but find a way!
But would not tears and grief be barriers?)
And when you hear a song
Or see a bird I loved,
Please do not let the thought of me
Be sad, for I am loving you
Just as I always have. . .
You were so good to me!
There are so many things
I wanted still to do. . .
So many things I wanted to say
to you. . . Remember that
I did not fear. . . It was
Just leaving you
That was so hard to face.
We cannot see beyond. . .
But this I know:
I loved you so. . .
It was heaven here with you.
- Isla Paschal Richardson.
To My Dear and Loving Husband
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor aught by love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way reply;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere,
That when we live no more we may live ever..
- Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672).
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 softly falling snow,
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the field of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the grateful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight
I am the starshine 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. So do not stand by my grave and cry.
I am not there.
I did not die.
- Mary Frye (1905-2004).
Suicide
It is hard for us to enter
the kind of despair they must have known
and because it is hard we must get in by breaking the lock if necessary
for we have not the key,
though for them there was not lock and the surrounding walls
were supple, receiving as waves, and they drowned
though not lovingly; it is we only who must enter in this way.
Temptations will beset us, once we are in.
We may want to catalogue what they have stolen. We may feel suspicion; we may even criticise the decor
of their suicidal despair, may perhaps feel it was incongruously comfortable.
Knowing the temptations then let us go in
deep to their despair and their skin and know
they died because words they had spoken
returned always homeless to them..
- Janet Frame (1924 - 2004).
Taking Leave of a Friend
Blue Mountains to the north of the walls,
White river winding about them;
Here we must make separation
And go out through a thousand miles of dead grass.
Mind like a floating wide cloud,
Sunset like the parting of old acquaintances
Who bow over their clasped hands at a distance?
Our horses neigh to each other as we are departing.
- Ezra Pound (1885 - 1972).
Old Gaelic Blessing
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
May the rains fall softly upon your fields until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand
- Anonymous.
The Parting Glass
Oh all the time that ever I spent,
I spent it in good company;
And any harm that ever I've done,
I trust it was to none but me;
May those I've loved through all the years
Have memories now they'll ever recall;
So fill to me the parting glass,
Goodnight and joy be with you all.
Oh all the comrades that ever I had, Are sorry for my going away;
And all the loved ones that ever I had
Would wish me one more day to stay
But since it falls unto my lot
That I should leave and you should not,
I'll gently rise and I'll softly call
Goodnight and joy be with you all.
Of all good times that ever we shared,
I leave to you fond memory;
And for all the friendship that ever we had I ask you to remember me;
And when you sit and stories tell,
I'll be with you and help recall;
So fill to me the parting glass,
God bless, and joy be with you all.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;
and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields
- John McCrae.
It's the Veteran
Backbone of liberty; fighting to keep us free,
Sacrifice homeland safety; battles fought abroad.
Our first Veterans, founding fathers,
Gave to us our freedom's liberty
It was not the preacher, campus organizer,
Who fought for religions free . . . free assembly
Veterans fight for your assembly, worship free.
It was not the lawyer, politician,
Who gave your right to vote . . . trials fair
Veterans fight for your voice, equal treatment.
Nor was it the poet, reporter,
That fought for free press . . . free speech.
Veterans fight for unhindered news, talk. . . fear free.
Saluting the flag under which he serves,
Veteran's foundation sacrifice
Freedom mortared by brave blood spilt .
Maintains our liberty rights
- Roger W. Hancock.
I'd like to think
I'd like to think when life is done
That I had filled a needed post,
That here and there I'd paid my fare
With more than idle talk and boast; That I had taken gifts divine,
The breath of life and manhood fine,
And tried to use them now and then
In service for my fellow men..
- Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959).
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 wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew
And, while the silent lifting mind I've trod
The high un-trespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God
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
- David Harkins
.Untitled
Your smiles can brighten any moment,
Your hugs put joy in all my days,
Your love will stay with me forever
And touch my life in precious ways... .
The values you've taught, the care you've given,
and the wonderful love you've shown, have enriched my life
in more ways than I can count
-Anonymous
Her Journey's Just Begun
Her Journey's Just Begun
Don't think of her as gone away,
her journey's just begun,
Life holds so many facets,
this earth is only one,
Just think of her as resting,
from the sorrows and the tears,
In a place of warmth and comfort,
where there are no days or years,
Think how she must be wishing,
that we could know today,
How nothing but our sadness,
can really pass away,
And think of her as living, in the hearts of those she touched,
For nothing loved is ever lost,
and she was loved so much. .
-Anonymous
Untitled
If tears could build a staircase and memories a lane,
I would walk right up to Heaven and bring you back again.
No farewell words were spoken.
No time to say Goodbye.
You were gone before I knew it and God only knows why.
My heart still aches with sadness and the secret tears still flow.
What it meant to love you.
No one can ever know.
But now I know you want me to mourn for you know more. To remember all the happy times life still has in store.
Since you'll never be forgotten
I pledge to you today-
A hollowed place within my heart is where you'll always stay.
No matter what people think or people have to say
Pam and I loved you each and every day
all we ever wanted for you was the best in life could give.
But in the end you got your wish to never leave Mantua. .
- Anonymous
Looking Back
I might have been rich if I'd wanted the gold instead of the friendships I've made.
I might have had fame if I'd sought for renown in the hours when I purposely played.
Now I'm standing to-day on the far edge of life, and I'm just looking backward to see
What I've done with the years and the days that were mine, and all that has happened to me. I haven't built much of a fortune to leave to those who shall carry my name,
And nothing I've done shall entitle me now to a place on the tablets of fame.
But I've loved the great sky and its spaces of blue; I've lived with the birds and the trees;
I've turned from the splendour of silver and gold to share in such pleasures as these.
I've given my time to the children who came; together we've romped and we've played,
And I wouldn't exchange the glad hours spent with them for the money that I might have made.
I chose to be known and be loved by the few, and was deaf to the plaudits of men;
And I'd make the same choice should the chance come to me to live my life over again.
I've lived with my friends and I've shared in their joys, known sorrow with all of its tears.
I have harvested much from my acres of life, though some say I've squandered my years. For much that is fine has been mine to enjoy, and I think I have lived to my best,
And I have no regret, as I'm nearing the end, for the gold that I might have possessed.
- Edgar A. Guest
To laugh often and much
to win the respect of the intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier
because you lived here.
This is to have succeeded. .
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Excerpt from The Mystic
I have ridden the wind,
I have ridden the force that flies
With far intent thro' the firmament
And each to each allies.
And everywhere
That a thought may dare
To gallop, mine has trod --
Only to stand at last on the strand
Where just beyond lies God. .
- Cale Young Rice
Irish Funeral Prayer
You can only have one mother
Patient kind and true;
No other friend in the entire world,
Will be the same to you
When other friends forsake you,
To mother you will return,
For all her loving kindness,
She asks nothing in return. .
As we look upon her picture,
Sweet memories we recall,
Of a face so full of sunshine,
And a smile for one and all
Sweet Jesus, take this message,
To our dear mother up above; Tell her how we miss her,
And give her all our love. .
- Anonymous
Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.
Plan more than you can do, then do it.
Point your arrow at a star, take your aim, and there you are.
Arrange more time than you can spare, then spare it.
Take on more than you can bear, then bear it.
Plan your castle in the air, then build a ship to take you there
- Ella Williams
To Risk
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool: laugh anyway.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental; weep anyway.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement; get involved anyway.
To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss; share your ideas anyway, and dream anyway.
To love is to risk being loved in return; risk love anyway.
TO live is to risk dying; risk living anyway.
To hope is to risk failure; you must have hope anyway.
Bur risks must be taken. The greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing and do nothing - you will dull the spirit.
You may avoid suffering and sorrow, but cannot learn, feel change, grow, love and live. Chained by your attitude, you are a slave.
You have forfeited freedom.
Only if you risk are you free. .
- William Arthur Ward
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 or farewell,
When I embark;
For though' 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
- Alfred Lord Tennyson
On Death
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one even as the river and the sea are one
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance - Kahlil Gibran
Infants' Graves
Infants' grave mounds are steps of angels, whereEarth's brightest gems of innocence repose.
God is their parent, so they need no tear;
He takes them to his bosom from earth's woes,
A bud their lifetime and a flower their close.
Their spirits are the Iris of the skies,
Needing no prayers; a sunset's happy close.
Gone are the bright rays of their soft blue eyes;
Flowers weep in dew-drops o'er them, and the gale gently sighs. .
Their lives were nothing but a sunny shower,
Melting on flowers as tears melt from the eye
Their deaths were dew-drops on heaven's amaranthine bower Was tolled on flowers as Summer gales went by.
They bowed and trembled, yet they heaved no sigh,
And the sun smiled to show the end was well.
Infants have nought to weep for ere they die;
All prayers are needless, beads they need not tell,
White flowers their mourners are, Nature their passing bell
John Clare -
Mother
How do We Let a Mother Go
How do we let a mother go?
How do we say "I'm ready now to go on without you"?
How can we ever have a clue of what that really means?
And of a sudden the moment is upon us, and there's no turning back.
And then we know what grief is,... and guilt and love and things undone.
Try to prepare and we will fail in some way, be it subtle or looming....
But there is peace too, peace and acceptance and overwhelming love that we maybe weren't aware of waves and waves of conflicting emotion,
And laughter too, and memories we hadn't bothered lately to recall come flooding back in shared company and it's all about you, mum...
And there's gratitude so much of that, that we had you, such a wonderful mother...Bright and shining, nobody's fool, independent, but humble too;
Smart and kind, and fun
Adventurous
A part of you has passed away, but much is carried everyday within us, and will as long as we are here.
This may be a final tribute, A day to celebrate your life and say goodbyes;
But it's not final.
Every day I'll celebrate in some way, just by the virtue of how you shaped my life,
The absolute and incredible fortune that I knew you
As a mother, a friend and a woman
- Lori Boast
The Magic of a Mother's Touch
There's magic in a Mother's touch,
and sunshine in her smile.
There's love in everything she does
to make our lives worthwhile.
We can find both hope and courage
Just by looking in her eyes
Her laughter is a source of joy,
her works are warm and wise.
There is a kindness and compassion
to be found in her embrace,
and we see the light of heaven
shining from a Mother's face
- Anonymous
The Mother
There will be a singing in your heart,
There will be a rapture in your eyes;
You will be a woman set apart,
You will be so wonderful and wise.
You will sleep, and when from dreams you start,
As of one that wakes in Paradise,
There will be a singing in your heart,
There will be a rapture in your eyes.
There will be a moaning in your heart,
There will be an anguish in your eyes
You will see your dearest ones depart,
You will hear their quivering good-byes.
Yours will be the heart-ache and the smart,
Tears that scald and lonely sacrifice;
There will be a moaning in your heart, There will be anguish in your eyes
There will come a glory in your eyes,
There will come a peace within your heart;
Sitting 'Neath the quiet evening skies,
Time will dry the tear and dull the smart.
You will know that you have played your part;
Yours shall be the love that never dies:
You, with Heaven's peace within your heart, you, with God's own glory in your eyes.
- Robert Service
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 . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking, And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . . A many splendored miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence of God's tender guiding hand
- Helen Steiner Rice
What is a Mom?
A mom 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 mom 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 mom's love will always see you through, A mom 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.
- Anonymous
Untitled
For all the times you gently picked me up,
When I fell down,
For all the times you tied my shoes
And tucked me into bed,
Or needed something
But put me first instead. .
For everything we shared,
The dreams, the laughter,
And the tears,
I love you with a Special Love That deepens every year. .
Thank You Mom
- Anonymous
In Memory of My Mother
You were a precious gift from God above,
So much beauty, grace and love.
You touched our hearts in so many ways,
Your smile so bright even on the bad days
You heard God's whisper calling you home,
You didn't want to go and leave us alone.
You loved us so much, you held on tight,
Till all the strength was gone and you could no longer fight.
He had called your name twice before,
You knew you couldn't make him wait anymore.
So you gave your hand to God and slowly drifted away,
Knowing that with our love we will be together again someday
- Mary Estelle
A Mother's Crown
Heaven lit up with a mighty presence,
As the Angels all looked down
Today the Lord was placing the jewels
Into my mother's crown
He held up a golden crown,
As my darling mother looked on.
He said in His gentle voice,
'I will now explain each one.'
'The first gem,' He said, 'is a Ruby,
and it's for endurance alone, for all the nights you waited up
for your children to come home.'
'For all the nights by their bedside,
you stayed till the fever went down.
For nursing every little wound,
I add this ruby to your crown.'
'An emerald, I'll place by the ruby,
for leading your child in the right way.
For teaching them the lessons,
That made them who they are today.' 'For always being right there,
through all life's important events.
I give you a sapphire stone,
for the time and love you spent.'
'For untying the strings that held them,
when they grew up and left home.
I give you this one for courage.'
Then the Lord added a garnet stone.
'I'll place a stone of amethyst,' He said.
'For all the times you spent on your knees, when you asked if I'd take care of your children,
and then for having faith in Me.'
'I have a pearl for every little sacrifice
that you made without them knowing.
For all the times you went without,
to keep them happy, healthy and growing.'
'And last of all I have a diamond,
the greatest one of all,
for sharing unconditional love
whether they were big or small.' 'It was you love that helped them grow
Feeling safe and happy and proud
A love so strong and pure
It could shift the darkest cloud.'
After the Lord placed the last jewel in,
He said, 'Your crown is now complete,
You've earned your place in Heaven
With your children at your feet
- Anonymous
Grandmother:
To Grandmother with Love
I had an angel here beside me,
Sent to Earth to help and guide me,
An angel always there for me,
Sent to love and care for me
She did the things that angels should,
She taught me what was bad and good.
She gave me hope when no one cared, She held my hand when I was scared.
She cheered me up when I was down, She could make a smile from a frown.
She doctored me when I was sick,
And many another angel trick.
Today my angel earned her wings,
Her halo, harp and other things
But today I'm lost and all alone,
For today God called my angel home
- David Pawson
Grandma
While we honor all our mothers with words of love and praise,
While we tell about their goodness and their kind and loving ways,
We should also think of Grandma, she's a mother too, you see
For she mothered my dear mother as my mother mothered me
Father
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 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 read, 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
- Anonymous
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
- Anonymous
A Boy and His Dad
A boy and his dad on a fishing-trip
There is a glorious fellowship!
Father and son and the open sky
And the white clouds lazily drifting by,
And the laughing stream as it runs along
With the clicking reel like a martial song,
And the father teaching the youngster gay
How to land a fish in the sportsman's way
I fancy I hear them talking there
In an open boat, and the speech is fair;
And the boy is learning the ways of men
From the finest man in his youthful ken
Kings, to the youngster, cannot compare
With the gentle father who's with him there.
And the greatest mind of the human race
Not for one minute could take his place.
Which is happier, man or boy?
The soul of the father is steeped in joy,
For he's finding out, to his heart's delight,
That his son is fit for the future fight
He is learning the glorious depths of him,
And the thoughts he thinks and his every whim,
And he shall discover, when night comes on,
How close he has grown to his little son.
A boy and his dad on a fishing-trip-
Oh, I envy them, as I see them there
Under the sky in the open air,
For out of the old, old long-ago
Come the summer days that I used to know,
When I learned life's truths from my father's lips
As I shared the joy of his fishing-trips-
Builders of life's companionship!
- Edgar A. Guest
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