Poem's & Verses | Julianbamford

Poem's, verses and prayers...

Below are a selection of poems, verses and prayers included in services by families and friends.

Chosen to remember, reflect, recollect, to help express their feelings and thoughts as part of the service.

Many more can be found with a search on the myriad sites on the web.

May you find the right words that you are looking for.

Their Light Shines On

Our loved ones leave behind a light

That will never dim or fade

It’s kept bright by the love we feel

And the memories we made

It can warm us like a candle’s glow

And help bring comfort too

And no matter where you go

You will find it’s always close to you

And in the darker times remember

In our hearts their light is strong

So every time we think of them

Their memory shines on

For My Big Brother

You showed me a lot of things,

I learned a lot I didn't know,

but you forgot to teach me one last thing,

how to let you go,

I know you didn't mean to leave me,

sometimes we have no choice,

I miss being your little sister,

hearing my name called by your voice,

I'm glad I got to say I Love You

before you were given to the sky,

You always meant a lot to me,

I could never love you less,

I know its true when they say,

He only takes the Best.

That Man is a Success

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Who has lived well, laughed often and loved much;

Who has gained the respect of intelligent men and

the love of children;

Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

Who leaves the world better than he found it,

Who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it.

Who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.

East Coker (excerpt)

T.S. Eliot from Collected Poems 1909 – 1962

In my beginning is my end. In succession

Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended,

Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place

Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass.

Old stone to new building, old timber to new fires,

Old fires to ashes, and ashes to the earth

Which is already flesh, fur and faeces,

Bone of man and beast, cornstalk and leaf.

Houses live and die: there is a time for building

And a time for living and for generation

And a time for the wind to break the loosened pane

And to shake the wainscot where the field-mouse trots

And to shake the tattered arras woven with a silent motto.

In my beginning is my end. Now the light falls

Across the open field, leaving the deep lane

Shuttered with branches, dark in the afternoon,

Where you lean against a bank while the van passes,

And the deep lane insists on the direction

Into the village, in the electric heat

Hypnotized. In a warm haze the sultry light

Is absorbed, not refracted, by grey stone.

The dahlias sleep in the empty silence.

Wait for the early owl.

In that open field

If you do not come too close, if you do not come too close,

On a summer midnight, you can hear the music

Dawn points, and another day

Prepares for heat and silence. Out at sea the dawn wind

Wrinkles and slides. I am here

Or there, or elsewhere. In my beginning.

Life is but a stopping place

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.

Poem of Parting

Author Unknown

We share our happiness with each other
And it becomes greater.
We share our troubles with each other -
and they become smaller.
We share one another’s griefs and burdens
And their weight becomes possible to bear

The Summer Day

by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down -

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

Safely Home

Author Unknown

I am in Heaven, dear ones;

Oh, so happy and so bright!

There is perfect joy and beauty

In this everlasting light.

All the pain and grief is over,

Every restless tossing passed;

I am now at peace forever,

Safely home in Heaven at last.

You must not grieve so sorely,

For I love you dearly still:

Try to look beyond earth’s shadows,

Pray to trust our Father’s Will.

There is work still waiting for you,

So you must not idly stand;

Do it now, while life remaineth

You shall rest in Jesus’s land.

When that work is all completed,

He will gently call you Home;

Oh, the rapture of that meeting,

Oh, the joy to see you come.

A Poem - from Wordsworth

(the impermanence of human life)

Enough, if something from our hands have power

To live, and act, and serve the future hour;

And if, as toward the silent tomb we go,

Through love, through hope,

and faith's transcendent dower,

We feel that we are greater than we know.

An Honest Man

by Robert Burns

An honest man here lies at rest

The friend of man, the friend of truth

The friend of age, and guide of youth

Few hearts like his, with virtue warm’d

Few heads with knowledge so inform’d

If there’s another world, he lives in bliss

If there is none, he made the best of this.

The Clock of Life

The clock of life is wound but once

And no-one has the power

To say just when the hands will stop,

The year, the day, the hour.

Today alone you will call your own,

To do with as you will,

Don’t count upon tomorrow friends,

The hands may then be still.

The Train of Life

Author Unknown

At birth, we board the train and meet our parents,

and we believe they will always travel by our side.

As time goes by, other people will board the train;

and they will be Significant, for example our siblings,

friends, children, and even the love of your life.

However, at some station our parents will step down from the train,

Leaving us on this journey alone.

Others will step down over time and leave a permanent vacuum.

Some, however, will go so unnoticed

That we don’t realize they vacated their seats.

This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy,

Expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells

Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers

Requiring that we give the best of ourselves.

The mystery to everyone is:

We do not know at which Station we ourselves will step down.

So, we must live in the best way, love,

Forgive, and offer the best of who we are.

It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step

Down and leave our seat empty, we should leave behind

beautiful memories for those who will continue to

travel on the train of life.

I wish you all a joyful journey.

A Poem Now He's Gone Away

by Ellen Brenneman

Don’t think of him as gone away,

his journey’s just begun,

life holds so many facets

this earth is only one.

Just think of him as resting

from the sorrows and the tears

in a place of warmth and comfort

where there are no days and years.

Think how he must be wishing

that we could know today

how nothing but our sadness

can really pass away.

And think of him as living

in the hearts of those he touched…

for nothing loved is ever lost

and he was loved so much.

Forever In Our Hearts

Anonymous.

When tomorrow starts without me,

And I’m not there to see,

If the sun should rise and find your eyes,

Are filled with tears for me.

I wish so much you wouldn’t cry,

The way you have today,

While thinking of the many things

We never got to say.

I know how much you love me,

As much as I love you,

And each time you think of me,

I know you miss me too.

So when tomorrow starts without me,

Don’t think we’re far apart,

For every time you think of me,

I’ll be right there in your heart.

Do not go gentle into that good night

Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Epitaph on a Friend

by Robert Burns

An honest man here lies at rest,

The friend of man, the friend of truth,

The friend of age, and guide of youth:

Few hearts like his, with virtue warm'd,

Few heads with knowledge so inform'd;

If there's another world, he lives in bliss;

If there is none, he made the best of this.

Farewell My Friend

Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali Priest and Nobel Laureate

It was beautiful as long as it lasted

The journey of my life.

I have no regrets whatsoever

save the pain I will 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.

Sunny Side of the Street

Song Lyrics

Grab your coat and get your hat

Leave your worries on the doorstep

Life can be so sweet

On the sunny side of the street

Can't you hear the pitter-pat

And that happy tune is your step

Life can be complete

On the sunny side of the street

I used to walk in the shade with my blues on parade

But I'm not afraid...this rover's crossed over

If I never had a cent

I'd be rich as Rockefeller

Gold dust at my feet

On the sunny side of the street

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 have 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 think of me, I will never be gone.

You will always be there

Author Unkown

The rays of light filtered

Through the sentinels of

Trees this morning.

I sat in the garden and

Contemplated.

The serenity and beauty

of my feelings and

surroundings completely

captivated me...

I thought of you.

I discovered you tucked

Away in the shadows of the

Trees. Then rediscovered

You on the smiles of the

flowers as the sun

penetrated the petals...

in the rhythm of the leaves

falling in the garden...

in the freedom of the

birds as they fly searching

as you do.

I’m very happy to have found you.

Now, you will never leave

Me, for I will always find

You in the beauty of life.

Where am I now?

Michael Morwood: from Faith, Hope and a bird called George (p.114)

Do you know that every atom

In my body, here before you,

Was manufactured in a massive explosion

In a star billions of years ago.

Do you believe, as I do,

In a Spirit of Life at work

For billions of years

That finally brought human form

To those atoms?

In me the Spirit of Life and Love

Came to visible expression in human form

When I loved you

When I called you my friends,

When I laughed,

When I cried,

When I did whatever you loved about me.

Where am I now?

I continue to dance

With the Spirit of Life and Love

In ways beyond words and images.

But I am with you

And always will be

As this Spirit continues to move

In your lives.

I am with you,

And always will be,

In the Spirit of Life and Love.

Life Must Go On

Grieve for me, for I would grieve for you.

Then brush away the sorrow and the tears

Life is not over, but begins anew,

With courage you must greet the coming years.

To live forever in the past is wrong;

It can only cause you misery and pain.

Dwell not on memories overlong,

With others you must share and care again.

Reach out and comfort those who comfort you;

Recall the years, but only for a while.

Nurse not your loneliness; but live again.

Forget not.

Remember with a smile.

My Country

by Dorothea McKellar (extract)

An opal-hearted country,

A wilful, lavish land -

All you who have not loved her,

You will not understand -

Though earth holds many splendours,

Wherever I may die,

I know to what brown country

My homing thoughts will fly.

Gift to My Children

Author Unknown (from service for Gary Butzin - 2010)

There is really nothing you must be,

except yourself.

There is nothing you must do,

except be yourself.

There is really nothing you must have,

except yourself.

There is really nothing you must know,

except yourself.

There is really nothing you must become,

except yourself.

My family, my friends,

please don't mourn for me,

I'm still here, though you don't see.

I'm right by your side each night and day

And within your heart I long to stay.

My body is gone but I'm always near.

I'm everything you feel, see or hear.

My spirit is free, but I'll never depart

As long as you keep me alive in your heart.

(Excerpt –Anonymous)

If - “Brother Square-Toes”

Rudyard Kipling from Rewards and Fairies

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor walk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;

If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap all of your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after you are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the will which says to them: “Hold On!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings – not lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And –which is more- you’ll be a Man, my son.

Memories

All it takes is a passing shadow,

As a cloud moves across the sun,

To remind us yesterday is gone,

And a new day has begun.

For although the blossums may tumble

And leaves scatter in the breeze,

What will never ever fade,

Is the precious memories.

But like the ending of the day,

Just after the sun has set,

We know that,

Deep within our hearts,

We will never forget.

And that is when we realize,

The footsteps that they left behind

Though they can’t be filled,

Hold memories of the warmest most wonderful kind.

If I Should Go Before You

Joyce Grenfell

“If I should go before the rest of you,

Break not a flower, nor inscribe it in stone,

Nor, when I’m gone, speak in a Sunday voice,

But be the usual selves that I have known.

Weep if you must:

Parting is hell.

But life goes on

So...sing as well?

You're My Best Friend

Author Unknown

You placed gold on my finger

You brought love like I've never known

And to me a reason to go on.

You're my bread when I'm hungry

You're my shelter from troubled winds

You're my anchor in life's ocean

But most of all you're my best friend.

When I need hope and inspiration

You're always strong when I'm tired and weak

I could search this whole world over

You'll still be everything that I need.

You're my bread when I'm hungry

You're my shelter from troubled winds

You're my anchor in life's ocean

But most of all you're my best friend...

Love doesn’t end with dying,

Or leave in the last breath.

For someone you’ve loved deeply,

Love doesn’t end with death.

In every home where love abides

Where friendship and kindness are guests

This surely is home sweet home

For there the heart can rest.

I’d Rather See You Smiling

Author Unknown

You must not think that I have gone

Please don’t grieve or pine.

I’d rather see you smiling

Laughing - working - looking fine.

Death is an exciting key

Which opens many doors

It leads us into other worlds

Quite similar to yours.

Life is not an accident

Death is not the end.

God designed a mystery

Life and death do blend.

So do not think that I have gone

Please don’t brood or pine

I’d rather see you smiling

Laughing - working - looking fine.

She Is Gone

David Harkins

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 she has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her 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 her and only that she's 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.

Always

by Douglas W Shaw, Oct 1999.

Four long years have passed my love,

Since you left my side.

Time has been long and heavy

And many days I’ve cried.

Whoever said these simply words

That time heals all wounds.

Was wrong, I still hurt

And will too for many years.

I’m not the first to lose a loved one,

Nor shall I be the last.

But time and time again my love

My thoughts go to the past.

At least I have known paradise.

Some never do.

My paradise lovely lady

Was the time I spent with you.

Unpublished

Today we all Remember

Author Unknown (Adapted)

Today we all remember.

A mum, wife, sister, nanna and friend.

A life that was so special,

But sadly had to end.

You were there when we needed you most,

To go that extra mile,

You’d greet us with a living hug,

And such a charming smile.

Knowing you were always there,

Was such a peace of mind,

A mum, wife, sister, nanna and friend,

Truly one of a kind.

You are loved so much by all of us,

Our mum, wife, sister, nanna and friend.

We’ll try our best to make you proud,

In whatever way we can.

Words are not enough,

To say what I want to say,

I’ll never forget you,

And remember you every day.

Although we cannot see you,

It doesn’t mean you’ve gone,

Cause we love you and you’re in our thoughts,

Your memory will always live on.

Now it’s time now to say goodbye,

You’re someone we’ll always love,

You’ll be missed so dearly,

At peace now – but always in our hearts.

Mum

Melton Culberth

You raised us kids

And always lived right.

We were safe and warm,

Before you slept each night.

You worked hard

All through your life

As a friend, a mother,

And a faithful wife.

You weren’t rich, or poor

Or even famous.

But you did your best

And always loved us.

Life’s not easy

Nor is it fair.

Now you’re older

With gray in your hair.

You have always cared,

And done for others.

So here’s a salute,

To our Mother.

We Will Love You

Author Unknown.

You gave us your love and a reason to live,

You’ve been our best friend for so many years.

We’ve shared happy times and also our tears.

There’s no one who means as much as you do.

After all you’ve done for us.

And all we’ve been through together.

So we’ll never be parted – it just cannot be.

For you know we love you,

And we know you love us.

For as long as we can dream.

For as long as we can think

As long as we have memory

We will think of you.

For as long as we have eyes to see,

and ears to hear, and lips to speak,

We will speak of you.

As long as we have a heart to feel,

A soul stirring within us,

An imagination to hold you,

We will remember you.

As long as there is time,

As long as there is love,

As long as we have the breath to speak your name,

We will love you.

Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields

and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Do Not Stand at My Grave

by Mary Elizabeth Frye, born Elizabeth Clark in Dayton Ohio in 1907, orphaned at just three years of age.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the star shine 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.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I did not die.

All is Well

Death is nothing at all.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

I am I, and you are you.

Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.

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 and if you want to, 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 a 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.

Great Aunt

by Jill Fantin.

Generations like the seasons come with sweet expressions.

Reminders of those days gone by and yesterday’s impressions.

Each precious memory you share becomes more dear each day.

A candle’s glow out of the past that gently lights my way.

To me you’ve been a blessing for I may have never known…

Feel No Guilt In Laughter

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, 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 safe within your heart.

To My Mother

Adapted from the writings of Indian poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

“Where have I come from, where did you pick me up?”

The baby asked its mother.

She answered, half crying, half laughing,

And clasping the baby to her breast, -

“You were hidden in my heart as its desire, my darling.

You were in the dolls of my childhood games;

In all my hopes and my loves, in my life,

In the life of my mother you have lived.

When in girlhood my heart was opening its petals,

You hovered as a fragrance about it.

Your tender softness bloomed in my youthful limbs,

Like a glow in the sky before the sunrise.

Heaven’s first darling, twin-born with the morning light,

You have floated down the stream of the world’s life,

And at last you have arrived in my heart.

As I gaze on your face, mystery overwhelms me;

You who belong to all have become mine.

For fear of losing you I hold you tight to my breast.

What magic has snared the world’s treasure

In these slender arms of mine?”

You will always be there

Author Unknown

The rays of light filtered

Through the sentinels of

Trees this morning.

I sat in the garden and

Contemplated.

The serenity and beauty

of my feelings and

surroundings completely

captivated me...

I thought of you.

I discovered you tucked

Away in the shadows of the

Trees. Then rediscovered

You on the smiles of the

flowers as the sun

penetrated the petals...

in the rhythm of the leaves

falling in the garden...

in the freedom of the

birds as they fly searching

as you do.

I’m very happy to have found you.

Now, you will never leave

Me, for I will always find

You in the beauty of life.

Crossing the Bar

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate (1809 - 1892)

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 of 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.

The Horse Race

Author Unknown

Racehorses trot around the parade ring

these wonderful animals from the sport of kings

The jockeys on board in colours so bright

like modern day gladiators into the fight

The public around the stands do amble

trying to guess on which to gamble

The bookmakers standing there shouting out names

enticing the punters to give up their gains

The horses are cantering down to the start

all riders hear is one beating heart

That of their own drums in their ears

the tension, adrenalin drowns out the fears

Horses are locked away one by one

the gates fly open the race has begun

Wind beats their faces, rain stings their eyes

as these galloping stars race for the prize

The post, it comes nearer whips they do crack

every effort's made not to be at the back

Who will end up in the 1, 2 or 3

public with binoculars craning too see

The race it is over gone in a flash

bookmakers curse as they hand out their cash

The winner, a hero greeted with cheers

the trainer is happy the owners in tears

With joy unconfined another horse wins

and all losing tickets are tossed in dustbins

The eternal optimist in gamblers sees

the next race's winner "$10 on 4 for the win, please"

Another loser? or winner maybe found on this,

horse racing's hallowed ground

For me? well, I'll wander off home now,

or then again down to the TAB

Gotta check the form guide,

Flemington’s big race is up next,

that’s for me.

An Untitled Poem

for railway and train enthusiasts by Jack McLean, 1968.

“At Beveridge, from four o’clock,

They stay switched in till 6,

And one bloke has to work the block

And operate the sticks.

When he enquired “Control,

may I switch out before the pass?”

He heard, instead of a reply

The lover and his Lass.

And in between the changing crews,

And other operations,

Young Doug and Bev would air their views

on housing complications.

And somehow, Fortune always smiled,

‘Cept when they had a cuddle,

And Mr Cregen got quite wild

When sorting out the muddle.

So, we’re all glad the groom and bride

Will leave on the Aurora,

Preventing Harry Zeis’s pride

From getting any poorer.

And as we have romantic hearts,

We railwaymen at stations

And loco sheds and other parts

Send our congratulations.

We hope that absolutely nought

Will stop them being happy,

And may their troubles be the sort.

That need a change of nappie.

We hope that in their path ahead,

Their graph won’t rate an item,

With signals that are never red,

Line Clear, ad infinitum.”

God Looked Around

God looked around His garden,

And He found an empty place,

And 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,

He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering,

He knew you were in pain,

He knew that you would never,

Get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough,

And the hills were hard to climb,

So he closed your weary eyelids,

And He whispered “Peace be thine”.

It broke our hearts to lose you,

But you didn’t go alone,

For part of us went with you,

The day God called you home

SONG LYRICS - COME YE DISCONSOLATE

COME YE DISCONSOLATE

WHERE YE LANGUISH

COME TO THE MERCY SWEET

FERVENTLY NEAR - YAYEE

HERE SPEEDS THE COMFORTER

TENDERLY SAYIN

EARTH HAS NO SORROW

THAT HEAVEN CANNOT CURE

JOY OF THE DESOLATE

LIGHT OF THE STRAYIN’

HOPE, HOPE OF THE PENITENT

FERVENTLY CLEAR - YAYEE

HE’LL CURE YOUR WOUNDED HEART

HE’LL TAKE YOUR ANGUISH

EARTH HAS NO SORROW

THAT HEAVEN CANNOT CURE

I SAID EARTH HAS NO SORROW

THAT HEAVEN CANNOT CURE

SONG LYRICS - AMAZING GRACE

AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND

THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME

I ONCE WAS LOST

BUT NOW AM FOUND

WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE

‘TWAS GRACE THAT TAUGHT MY HEART TO FEAR

AND GRACE MY FEARS RELIEVED

HOW PRECIOUS DID THAT GRACE APPEAR

THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED

WHEN WE’VE BEEN HERE 10,000 YEARS

BRIGHT SHINNING AS THE SUN

WE’VE NO LESS DAYS

TO SING YOUR PRAISE

THAN WHEN WE FIRST BEGUN

AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND

THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME

I ONCE WAS LOST

BUT NOW AM FOUND

WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE

This body is not me

by Thich Nhat Hahn

This body is not me.

I am not limited by this body.

I am life without boundaries.

I have never been born,

and I have never died.

Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars, manifestations from my wonderous true mind.

Since before time, I have been free.

Birth and death are only doors through which we pass, sacred thresholds on our journey.

Birth and death are a game of hide and seek.

So laugh with me,

hold my hand,

let us say good-bye,

say good-bye, to meet again soon.

We meet today.

We will meet again tomorrow.

We will meet at the source every moment.

We meet each other in all forms of life.

PLEASE CALL ME BY MY TRUE NAMES

by Thich Nhat Hanhin The Buddha Is Still Teaching:

Contemporary Buddhist Wisdom, by Jack Kornfield. Pages 27–2.

Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow—

even today I am still arriving.

Look deeply: every second I am arriving

to be a bud on a Spring branch,

to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings,

learning to sing in my new nest,

to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,

to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,

to fear and to hope,

the rhythm of my heart is the birth and death

of all that are alive.

I am a mayfly metamorphosing

on the surface of the river,

And I am the bird which, when Spring comes,

arrives in time to eat the mayfly.

I am a frog swimming happily

in the clear water of a pond.

And I am the grass-snake

that silently feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,

my legs as thin as bamboo sticks.

And I am the arms merchant,

selling deadly weapons to Uganda.

I am the twelve-year-old girl,

refugee on a small boat,

who throws herself into the ocean

after being raped by a sea pirate.

And I am the pirate,

my heart not yet capable

of seeing and loving.

I am a member of the politburo,

with plenty of power in my hands.

And I am the man who has to pay his

“debt of blood” to my people

dying slowly in a forced labor camp.

My joy is like Spring, so warm

it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth.

My pain is like a river of tears,

so full it fills up the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can hear all my cries and laughter at once,

so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can wake up

and so the door of my heart can be left open,

the door of compassion.

Karaniya Metta Sutta

Loving Kindness. Buddha

The Karaniya Metta Sutta ( 1.8) combines both the interpersonal and radiant aspects

of canonical expressions of loving-kindness.

This is what should be done

By one who is skilled in goodness,

And who knows the path of peace:

... Wishing: In gladness and in safety,

May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be;

Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,

The great or the mighty,

medium, short or small,

The seen and the unseen,

Those living near and far away,

Those born and to-be-born –

May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another,

Or despise any being in any state.

Let none through anger or ill-will

Wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life

Her child, her only child,

So with a boundless heart

Should one cherish all living beings;

Radiating kindness over the entire world

Spreading upwards to the skies,

And downwards to the depths;

Outwards and unbounded,

Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down

Free from drowsiness,

One should sustain this recollection.

This is said to be the sublime abiding....

Ref: Sutta Nipata 1.8

Explanatory Note: According to the Pāli commentaries, the Buddha originally gave this instruction (of loving-kindness meditation) to monks who were being harassed by the tree spirits of a forest in which the monks were trying to meditate.

After doing this meditation in the forest it is said that the spirits were so affected by the power of loving-kindness that they allowed the monks to stay in the forest for the duration of the rainy season.