POEMS & READINGS (Non – Religious & Religious)

There are so many poems that are suitable for a funeral service.  Below are some examples that could be included in the service for your loved one…

 

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me

 

 

When 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.

So when tomorrow starts without me,

Don’t think we’re far apart,

For every time you think of me,

I’m right here, in your heart.

 

 

He/She Is Gone

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 will come back

Or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left

 Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him

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 him and only that he is 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 would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

 

 

 

The Dash

 

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke of the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth

And now only those who loved her

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 spend 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?

 

 

Feel No Guilt In Laughter (he/she)

 

Feel no guilt in laughter, he’d know how much you care.

Feel no sorrow in a smile that he is not here to share.

You cannot grieve forever; he would not want you to.

He’d hope that you could carry on the way you always do.

So, talk about the good times and the way you showed you cared,

The days you spent together, all the happiness you shared.

Let memories surround you, a word someone may say

Will suddenly recapture a time, an hour or a day,

That brings him back as clearly as though he were still here,

And fills you with the feeling that he is always near.

For if you keep those moments, you will never be apart

And he will live forever locked safely within your heart.

 

 

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.

 

 

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 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 close 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 I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow,

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My Life’s been full, I savoured 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.

 

 

I’m There Inside Your Heart

 

Right now I’m in a different place,

And though we seem apart,

I’m closer than I ever was…

I’m there inside your heart.

I’m with you when you greet each day

And while the sun shines bright,

I’m there to share the sunsets, too…

I’m with you every night.

I’m with you when the times are good,

To share a laugh or two,

And if a tear should start to fall…

I’ll still be there for you.

And when that day arrives

That we no longer are apart,

I’ll smile and hold you close to me…

Forever in my heart.

 

 

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 glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.

 

 

One At Rest

 

Think of me as one at rest,

for me you should not weep

I have no pain no troubled thoughts

for I am just asleep

The living thinking me that was,

is now forever still

And life goes on without me now,

as time forever will.

If your heart is heavy now

because I’ve gone away

Dwell not long upon it friend

For none of us can stay

Those of you who liked me,

I sincerely thank you all

And those of you who loved me,

I thank you most of all.

And in my fleeting lifespan,

as time went rushing by

I found some time to hesitate,

to laugh, to love, to cry

Matters it now if time began

If time will ever cease?

I was here, I used it all,

and now I am at peace.

 

 

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 for long

And not with your head bowed low

Remember the love that once we shared

Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take

And each must go alone.

It’s all part of the master plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart

Go to the friends we know.

Laugh at all the things we used to do

Miss me, but let me go.

 

 

Do Not Stand At My Grave & Weep

 

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.

 

 

Day’s Ending

 

I look towards the silent hills

At closing of the day,

As vaporous veils of silver mist

Descend upon the Bay.

Through moving clouds, the pearly moon

shines from a distant place,

Reflecting in the waters depths

Her opalescent face

The flowers close their petalled cups,

the wind is just a sigh,

a lonesome bird on homeward flight

lets out a plaintive cry.

Trees stand out in silhouette

against the fading light,

as dusk gives way to evening shadows,

merging into night.

Everything seems hushes and still,

bathed in afterglow.

Then one by one, the stars appear,

and gaze on earth below.

A time to quietly reflect,

to meditate and pray,

as calming peace steals on my soul,

and daylight slips away.

 

 

Farewell My Friends

 

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 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.

 

 

Afterglow

 

I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.

I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.

I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,

Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.

I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun;

Of happy memories that I leave when life is done.

Helen Lowrie Marshall

 

 

God Saw You

 

God saw you getting tired,

When a cure was not to be.

So 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.

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.

 

 

How Did They Live?

 

Not, how did they die, but how did they live?

Not, what did they gain, but what did they give?

These are the units to measure the worth

Of a person as a person, regardless of birth.

Not, what was their church, nor what was their creed?

But had they befriended those really in need?

Were they ever ready, with a 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 they passed away?

 

 

Poem of Life

 

Life is but a stopping place,

A pause in what’s to be,

A resting place along the road,

to sweet eternity.

We all have different journeys,

Different paths along the way,

We all were meant to learn some things,

but never meant to stay…

Our destination is a place,

Far greater than we know.

For some the journey’s quicker,

For some the journey’s slow.

And when the journey finally ends,

We’ll claim a great reward,

And find an everlasting peace,

Together with the lord.

 

 

 

Remember Me

 

To the living, I am gone,

To the sorrowful, I will never return,

To the angry, I was cheated,

But to the happy, I am at peace,

And to the faithful, I have never left.

I cannot speak, but I can listen.

I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.

So as you stand upon a shore gazing at a beautiful sea,

As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity,

Remember me.

Remember me in your heart:

Your thoughts, and your memories,

Of the times we loved,

The times we cried,

The times we fought,

The times we laughed.

For if you always.

Remember Me in Your Heart

Remember me in your heart:

Your thoughts, and your memories,

Of the times we loved,

The times we cried,

The times we fought,

The times we laughed.

For if you always think of me, I will never have gone.

 

 

 

You’ve Just Walked On Ahead of Me

 

And I’ve got to understand

You must release the ones you love

And let go of their hand.

I try and cope the best I can

But I’m missing you so much

If I could only see you

And once more feel your touch.

Yes, you’ve just walked on ahead of me

Don’t worry I’ll be fine

But now and then I swear I feel

Your hand slip into mine.

 

 

If I Should Go

 

If I Should Go Tomorrow

If I should go tomorrow

It would never be goodbye,

For I have left my heart with you,

So don’t you ever cry.

The love that’s deep within me,

Shall reach you from the stars,

You’ll feel it from the heavens,

And it will heal the scars.

 

 

Traditional Indian 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 too long.

Leave me in peace

And I shall leave you in peace

And while you live

Let your thoughts be with the living.

 

 

Funeral Blessing for a Loved One

 

May you always walk in sunshine,

and God’s around you flow.

For the happiness you gave us,

No one will ever know.

It broke our hearts to lose you,

But you did not go alone.

A part of us went with you

The day God called you home.

A million times we needed you

A million times we cried.

If love could only have saved you

You would’ve never died.

 

 

A Celtic Death Blessing

 

I pray that you will have the blessing of being consoled.

May you know in your soul that there is no need to be afraid.

When your time comes, may you be given every blessing and shelter that you need.

May there be a beautiful welcome for you in the home that you are going to.

You are not going somewhere strange.

You are going back to the home that you never left.

May you have a wonderful urgency to live your life to the full.

May you live compassionately and creatively and transfigure everything that is negative within you and about you.

When you come to die may it be after a long life.

May you be peaceful and happy and in the presence of those who really care for you.

 

 

Funeral Prayer

 

Dear Lord,

We are so grateful that you have made us all in your own image, giving us gifts and talents with which to serve you.

Thank you for (loved one’s name) life, and all the years we shared with him/her. We lift him/her to you today, in honour of the good we saw in him/her and the love we felt from him/her.

Please give us the strength to leave him/her in your care, in the knowledge of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Amen

 

 

Catholic Funeral Prayer

 

O God, Creator and Redeemer

Of all Your faithful people

Grant to the souls of all our faithful departed

Your mercy, light and peace

Lord, we pray that those we love

Who have gone before us in faith

May know Your forgiveness for their sins

And the blessings of everlasting life

In the company with the Virgin Mary

And all the angels and saints in ancient Heaven.

Amen.

 

 

An Apache Grief Blessing

 

May the sun bring you energy everyday, bringing light into the darkness of your soul.

May the moon softly restore you by light bathing you in the glow of restful sleep and peaceful dreams.

May the rain wash away your worries, and cleanse the hurt that sits in your heart.

May the breeze blow new strength into your being, and may you believe in the courage of yourself .

May you walk gently through the world, keeping your loved one with you always, knowing that you are never parted in the beating of your heart.

 

 

Non-Religious Funeral Blessing

 

Be free, be strong, be proud of who you have been, know that you will be mourned and missed, that no one can replace you, that you have loved and are beloved.

Move beyond form, flowing like water, feeding on sunlight and moonlight, radiant as the stars in the night sky.

 

 

 

An Irish Blessing

 

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sunshine warm upon your face.

May the rains fall upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth,

As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.

 

 

Deep Peace

 

Deep peace of the running wave to you

Deep peace of the flowing air to you

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you

Deep peace of the shining stars to you

Deep peace of the gentle night to you

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you

Deep peace of Christ

Of Christ, Of Christ, the light of the world to you

Deep peace of Christ to you

Deep peace of the running wave to you

Deep peace of the flowing air to you

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you

Deep peace of the shining stars to you

Deep peace of the gentle night to you

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you

Deep peace of Christ

Of Christ, of Christ, the light of the world to you

Deep peace of Christ to you.

 

 

Psalm 23

The Lord is My Shepherd

 

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 thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest 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.

 

 

We let you go

 

Into the freedom of wind and sunshine

We let you go

Into the dance of the stars and the planets

We let you go

Into the wind’s breath and the hands of the star maker

We let you go

We love you, we miss you, we want you to be happy

Go safely, go dancing, go running home.

Prayer of Remembrance

When we are weary and in need of strength,

When we are lost and sick at heart,

We remember him.

When we have a joy we crave to share

When we have decisions that are difficult to make

When we have achievements that are based on his

We remember him.

At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter

At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring,

We remember him.

At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer

At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn,

We remember him.

At the rising of the sun and at its setting,

We remember him.

As long as we live, he too will live

For he is now a part of us,

As we remember him.

 

 

River Of Life

 

An individual human existence should be like a river —

small at first, narrowly contained within its banks,

and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls.

Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede,

the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break,

they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being.