Seeking a Quote or Poem for a Funeral

My condolences. I have done similar things recently for my family. Here are a few websites I found useful.

http://angel-on-my-shoulder.com/quotes.html

http://www.quotegarden.com/index.html

My Mom used this poem at my Grandmother's funeral:

Her Journey's Just Begun

Don't think of her as gone away-
her journey has just begun
life holds many facets
the 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 and 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.

- Ellen Brenneman

Dear D.,

Please accept my sympathy in the loss of your Aunt. I am attending a funeral tomorrow and so I had these two poems out for a card. I have found comfort from them and hope they may be helpful to you:

I WILL NOT REMEMBER

When Heaven stands before me
And I am home at last,
I will not remember
The worries of the past;
I will not be aware of all
The trials in this life,
The many times I shed some tears,
The troubles and the strife,
For I will have before me
All the glories spread above.
The meaning of it all will be
Quite softened by His love.

Bonnie L. Nelson

THE SHIP

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 and I stand and
Watch her until at length she hangs like
A speck of white cloud just where the
Sea and sky come down to mingle with
Each other. Then someone at my side says,
"There! She's gone."

Gone Where?
Gone from my side,
That is all. She is just as large in mast and
Hull and spar as she was when she left my side,
And just as able to bear her load of living freight
To the place of destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her;
And just at that moment when someone at my side says,
"There! She's gone,"
There are other voices ready to take up
The glad shout,
"There She Comes!"

(author unknown)

I will say a prayer for you that you may feel the love and peace that comes from the Lord at this time of trial. I know there is Eternal life and may you feel comfort in this.

H.

Hi D.,

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. My condolences to you and your family in this time of sorrow.

This is a poem I have held onto for over 30 years. I've lost many relatives over these years and I always go back to this poem for comfort. It reminds me that there is life after death and although our loved ones are not physically with us anymore, they are they in another form.

It is Untitled and the Author was Unknown, but here it is:

Do not stand by my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am a diamond glint of snow.
I am the sunlights on a 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 starshine at night.

Do not stand by my grave and cry,
I am not there...I did not die.

Many blessing to you and your family D.,

T.

I don't know if you are religious or not... but
this is beautiful... this is an excerpt of a poem from a eulogy my sister wrote for my Aunty's funeral and it suited my Aunt so well
(the poem's author is Luke Easter & Dee Cheeks):

A Strong Woman Vs. Woman of Strength:
A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape,
but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything,
but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her,
but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.

A strong woman walks sure footedly,
but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face,
but a woman of strength wears grace…..

(Here is the link for the full version of the poem):
http://simplyyin.blogspot.com/2009/04/strong-woman-vs-wom...

I hope you find inspiration in this... and that it provides some help as you create beauty for your Aunt's funeral, as I'm sure she created beauty for others in her life and is much loved.

Sorry for your loss...
All the best to you,
Susan

We used this one for my Uncle's

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 him call
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
I found the place 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 I too 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 your hearts and share with me
God wanted me now, He set me free.

D. K

I am very sorry for your loss, I lost my aunt several years ago. It was not an easy task. Stay strong, things will work out. I was sent this in an email and thought you might be able to use this or parts of it to describe your aunt to others. This also describes how and what my aunt meant to me. I hope this helps.

One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding. Their hearts break when a friend dies.. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Women come in all shapes, sizes and colours. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideas. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give. Author unknown

Footprints in the sand...always my favourite:

Footprints

One night I had a dream--
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,
you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

...Mary Stevenson

Hi D., I am sorry for your loss! Here are a couple poems that comforted me when I lost my son. Take care, R.

The Ship

I am standing by 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,
and I stand and watch
until at last she hangs like a peck of white cloud
just where the sun and sky come down to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says, 'There she goes!
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 just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the places of destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
'There she goes! ' ,
there are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout :
'Here she comes!'
by Henry Van Dyke

and...

The Rose That Grows Beyond The Wall

Near shady wall a rose once grew
Budded and blossomed in God’s free light,
Watered and fed by morning dew,
Shedding its sweetness day and night.

As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height
It came to a crevice in the wall,
Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength
With never a thought of fear or pride
It followed the light through the crevice length
And unfolded itself on the other side

The light, the dew, the broadening view,
Were found the same as they were before
And it lost itself in beauties new
Breathing its fragrance more and more

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
And make our courage faint or fall
Nay, let us faith and hope receive
The Rose Still Grows Beyond the Wall

Scattering fragrance far and wide
Just as it did in days of yore
Just as it did on the other side
Just as it will forever more.

A.L. Fink

I wish you a multitude of arms to comfort you!

I'm sorry for your loss. Here is a poem...

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.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!

Mary Frye (1932)

Wow. Sounds like you have quite a lot going on right now. I'm so very sorry for the loss of your aunt. I'm glad you are able to find strength in your precious children.

I wanted to recommend a poem that we had read at our wedding. Instead of a sad goodbye, this poem is about the fact that today is the most important day of our lives, because it's the only day we know we have. It's called "On This Day." I couldn't find the poem (lame, I know) but it basically talks about using today to make your life and the lives of others better. Write a letter to an old friend. Forgive an old hurt. Tell someone you love them. Rejoice in the beauty of nature. That kind of thing.

After our ceremony, I had two old friends who had been feuding for years and who I purposely sat on opposite sides of the reception come up to me and tell me that they had mended fences and wanted to rearrange the seating so they could be next to each other. It's a powerful poem! Author unknown, unfortunately. I wish I could've found it for you. Maybe you'll have better luck.

My condolences again on the loss of your aunt and I wish you strength and clarity in all that you are facing. Peace.

Dear D.,
I am so sorry for your losses. Even when dealing with a terrible disease like cancer, the pain of the loss can be overwhelming. I would like to suggest reading "Death Is Nothing at All" by Canon Henry Scott-Holland. You can find the full reading at www.poeticexpressions.co.uk. I read it at my grandmother's funeral a couple of years ago, in both English and Spanish, and it was very well received by everyone who heard it and it made saying good-bye easier for me. Please go to the website (www.poeticexpressions.co.uk) and read it for yourself. I hope you find it helpful. Good luck and God bless you and your family during this difficult time.

Y.

In the Garden
by C. Austin Miles

I come to the garden along
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses

And he walks with me, and he talks with me,
And He tells me I am his own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;
And the melody that he gave to me
Within my heart is ringing

And he walks with me, and he talks with me,
And He tells me I am his own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Tho the night around me be falling;
But He bids me go thru – the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling.

And he walks with me, and he talks with me,
And He tells me I am his own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

Hi. I read this somewhere and copied it down. I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but I thought it was nice. I don't know if you have received it yet, I haven't read your responses yet.

My condolences...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I Did Not Die

Do not stand on my grave and weep
I am not there I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints in the snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am a gentle Autumns rain
When you awaken in the morning hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
I am the birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
So do not stand on my grave and cry
I am not there.... I did not die

Prayer
Dear Lord I thank You for this day, I thank you for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And give me the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak... Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that could not make it today. I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank You that I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers and for each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes, and that they are out of debt and all their needs are met. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of everyone here today in Jesus' name. Amen!

Please accept my condolences to you and your family. I hope this poem can help bring peace...

IF TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME

If 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

And said my place was ready, in heaven far above, And that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away, A tear fell from my eye, For all my life, I'd always thought, I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for, So much left yet to do, it seemed almost impossible, that I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays, the good ones and the bad, I thought of all that we had shared, and all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday, just even for a while, I'd say good-bye and kiss you and maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized, that this could never be, for emptiness and memories, would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things, I might miss come tomorrow, I thought of you, and when I did, my heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through heaven's gates, I felt so much at home. When God looked down and smiled at me, From His great golden throne,

He said, "This is eternity, and all I've promised you." Today your life on earth is past, but here life starts anew.

I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last, and since each day is the same way, there's no longing for the past.

You have been so faithful, so trusting and so true. Though there were times you did some things, you knew you shouldn't do.

But you have been forgiven, and now at last you're free. So won't you come and take my hand, and share my life with me

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.

- Author Unknown

My condolences to you and your family.

This quote is one I used for my grandfather's funeral at the end of the eulogy: "Goodnight Sweet Prince. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." Of course you would have to change it a bit for your aunt. It's one of the last lines in Hamlet.

Hello D.:

I am sorry for your loss. Khalil Gibran's book The Prophet has a really pretty chapter on death. Part of the chapter is:

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and 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.

I used the last sentence in my father's program when he died last Dec. It really speaks to my heart. I know you will find the right poem or quote for your Aunt-it will speak to your heart too.

Hugs,
J.

Dear D. - I'm so sorry. My Father died just over a year ago and we read many of the poems below in cards and letters.

My family found a brief story about Dad to be the 'right thing' to put in the memorial service program.

Give yourself a little time. I am sure you will find the right way to share a verbal picture of who she was, or the right quote/poem to honor her. In the meantime, I've copied two more quotes we found in our wonderings.

~ a bit somber, but lovely: it's from a novel, actually. Redemption Falls, by Joseph O'Connor, 2007.

"Your steps will prevail over any earthly road, no matter its hardness or the danger by its edge, just as time, in its droplets of the unnoticed seconds, will eventually hollow a way through your lifestone"

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince" has a long but lovely quote:
". ..and at night, you will look up at the stars. You alone will have the stars as no one has them...[for] in one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as though all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night. . .you -only you- will have stars that can laugh. And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend."

Hi D.,

I am so sorry to hear about your aunt. We just lost a close friend a couple of weeks ago and I found this quote that I thought was perfect for him:

“Nothing is ever wholly lost. That which is excellent remains forever a part of this universe.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope this helps...

Hi D.!

I'm sorry about you losing yr aunt. I lost my Mom 12 years ago to colon cancer and we used a poem called "I'm Free" at her funeral. If you google it, there is a website that has it. Unfortunately on my BlackBerry, I was unable to copy the url.

Bless you and condolences to your family.