God Saw You Getting Tired
God saw you getting tired
When a cure was not to be,
He wrapped his arms around you
And whispered ‘Come to me’.
You didn’t deserve what you went through,
So He gave you rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful,
He only takes the best
And when I saw you sleeping
So peaceful and free from pain
I could not wish you back
To suffer that again
So keep your arms around her, Lord,
And give her special care,
Make up for all she suffered
And all that seemed unfair.
ANON
Remembering
You can shed tears that he is gone
Or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all he’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him
Or you can be full of the love 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 him and only that he has gone
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what he’d want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
ANON
In Remembrance
You gave me life
To live as I please
You gave me love and
Support to follow my dreams.
Your beauty lives
Forever deep in my soul,
The memory of your love
Fills my heart
And I am never alone.
CHRISTINE CURRAH, 2002
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 thought that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
CHRISTINA ROSSETTI (1830-1894)
Remember Me
Remember me when I am gone
But not with sorrow, pain and grief
Think of me as a turning leaf
That in the Winter falls from its branch
To be born again in Spring
And live forever in your heart.
CHRISTINE CURRAH, 2002
God’s Garden
God looked around his garden
And found an empty space.
Then he looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful
For He only takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering.
He knew you were in pain.
He knew you would never get well
Upon this earth again.
He saw the roads were getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb,
So he closed your weary eyes
And whispered ‘Peace be thine’
It broke my heart to lose you
But you did not go alone
For part of me went with you
The day God called you home.
ANON
God Make Me Brave
God make me brave
Let me strengthen after pain
As a tree strengthens after rain
Shining and lovely again.
As a blown grass lifts, let me rise
From sorrow with quiet eyes
Knowing Thy way is wise
God make me braver-life brings
Such blinding things!
Help me keep Thee in my sight
That out of dark-comes light.
ANON
My Friends
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.
RABINDRANATH TAGORE (1861-1941)
Fly, Fly Little Wing
Fly, fly little wing
Fly beyond imagining
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven’s love
Past the plants and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again.
Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness
Far too beautiful for this
Cross over to the other shore
There is peace for ever more
But hold this memory bittersweet
Until we meet.
Fly, fly do not fear
Don’t waste a breath, don’t shed a tear
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don’t wait for me
Above the universe you’ll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won’t forget.
Fly, fly little wing
Fly where only angels sing
Fly away the time is right
Go now, find the light.
JEAN_JACQUES GOLDMAN and PHIL GALSTON
Farewell My Friends
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 heavy with sleep
Ever moist eyes
The smile in spite of a
Lump in the throat
And the strings pulling
At the heart and soul.
The strong arms
That held me up
When my own strength
Let me down
Each morsel that I was
Fed with was full of love divine.
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.
Poetry Readings
The Dash Between the Years
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of his friend
He referred to the dates on his tombstone
From the beginning to the end.
He noted that first came his date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears.
But said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
That he spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved him
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own,
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spent our dash
So think about this long and hard
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more,
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
ANON