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Here's the most poignant poem for a funeral service I know...I discovered it recently at The Poetry Archives courtesy of an English gentleman named Chesil who maintains his own poetry archives (Chesil's Favourite Poetry).
This moving poem first came to public attention after a copy was left in an envelope for his parents by Steven Cummins, a soldier killed on active service in Northern Ireland, to be opened in the event of his death. In the weeks that followed the first broadcast, some 30,000 copies were requested from the British Radio Programme: The Bookworm:
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.
--Anon.
Some believe the poem has Native American roots, and it has been traced back to authorship there but never fully substantiated. Here's the other version:
Native American Prayer
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.
Do not think of me as gone --
I am with you still -- in each new dawn.
And here is the URL for the site where Chesil has archived poems pertaining to death if you need to find something
more suitable:
http://www.photoaspects.com/chesil/death/index.html
Again , maverick, my sincerest condolences...you'll find your way through it, I'm sure.
My Love and Prayers,
David
I remember and reflect the humor of all those passed, and I recall the last line I wrote for my Dad's eulogy...
... leaves a legacy which will live long into the twenty first century.
OP
I shall be using a number of the suggestions later today. Goodnight all.
OP
Of all the good ideas proffered, I ended up quoting briefly from Remember by Christina Rossetti, and also used both the Native American Prayer and the wonderful short piece by Leo Marks. These seemed best to help convey the sense of continuity through the hearts and minds of all of us whom Kate touched in her short life. Her younger brother David spoke very movingly also - she had once saved his life a few years ago.
I spoke the words of Yours and yours and yours directly to young Colin at the final moments of the service, letting the words fall away to a whispered finish, and he was gently smiling back up at me. I nearly cracked with the rest of the congregation. I was so reminded of the way Kate used to wrinkle her nose when she smiled. He is a loving and remarkably poised young man, and his mum has the finest of all possible testaments to the love that drove her forward through nine years of agony.
Much love, Sweetie.
I'm sorry I had no words for you, but you know I hold you in my heart. I thank Jackie for her words -- both her own and those she found elsewhere. Words are easy for me to come by only when we're discussing intellectual thangs. I just discovered my friend and next-door-neighbor has cancer. We soldier on.
Two friends are breast cancer survivors and one sent me this link :
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
If you open and click the pink bar one of the site sponsors donates a free mammogram to a woman who otherwise could not afford it.
It takes just a moment ... I know this is not a word related post but I ask your indulgence. And it is not just women who get breast cancer, gentlemen!
Thank you.
With Love,
David
Sounds like you handled this difficult occasion with love, caring and respect. My thoughts are with you, and with your friend's son - such stories make me want to rush home and just hold my own son close.
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