There comes a time for all of us

When we must say goodbye

But faith and hope and love and trust

Can never, ever die.

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 too long

And not with your head bowed low.

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me but let me go.

When you are lonely and sick of heart

Go to the friends we know

And bury your sorrow in doing good deeds

Miss me - but let me go.

God looked around his garden,

And found an empty place,

He then 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 saw the road was getting rough,

And the hills were hard to climb,

So he closed your weary eyelids,

And 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.

The Lord will open to them

   the gate of Paradise and

    they will return to that

    homeland where there

       is no death but only

               lasting joy.

  Our family chain is broken

And nothing seems the same

But as God calls us one by one

   The links shall join again.

       A bouquet of beautiful memories,

          Sprayed with a million tears,

     Wishing God could have spared you,

         If just for a few more years.

       It does not take a special day,

              For us to think of you.

Each Mass we hear, each prayer we say,

               Is offered up to you.

      We cannot bring the old days back,

           When we were all together,

       The family chain is broken now,

            But memories live forever.

             It was a sudden parting,

                Too bitter to forget,

             Only those who loved you,

     Are the ones who will never forget.

  The blow was hard, the shock severe,

     To part with one we loved so dear,

    Our loss is great, we’ll not complain,

        But trust in God to meet again.

      A silent grief that’s in our hearts,

              No human eye can trace,

        For many a broken heart is hid,

               Beneath a smiling face.

We lost a mother with a heart of gold,

How much we miss her can never be told,

She shared our troubles and helped us along,

If we follow her footsteps

we will never go wrong.

We miss you from your fireside chair,

Your loving smile and gentle air,

Your vacant place no one can fill,

We miss you mother and always will.

She was a mother so very rare,

Content in her home and always there,

On earth she toiled, in heaven she rests,

God bless you mother you were

one of the best.

Each time we look at your picture,

You seem to smile and say,

Don’t be sad but courage take,

And love each other for my own sake.

We hold you close within our hearts

And there you shall remain

To walk with us throughout our lives

Until we meet again.

So rest in peace dear loved one

And thanks for all you’ve done.

We pray that God has given you

The crown you’ve truly won.

A light from our household gone

A voice we love is stilled

A place is vacant in our hearts

Which never can be filled

A bouquet of beautiful memories

Sprayed with a million tears

Wishing God could have spared you

If just for a few more years

Your vacant place no one can fill

We miss you now and always will.

This only I ask of you, that  

you will remember me at  

     the altar of the Lord 

    wherever you may be.

            - St. Monica.

May the road rise 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.

Oh! you whom I have loved so much on earth,

    pray for me and live in such a manner

        that we may be re-united for ever

                 in a Blessed Eternity.  

                  ~ St. Bonaventure.

Don’t think of her as gone away

Her journey’s just begun,

Life holds so many facets,

This earth is only one.

Just think of her as resting,

From the sorrow 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.

We love you, Mom,

See ya.

Just as Jesus died

   and rose again

so will the Father

  bring with Him

all those who have

     died in Jesus.

     (1 Th. 4.14)

They say that time will heal,

But neither time nor reason,

Will change the way we feel.

For no one knows the heartache,

That lies behind our smiles,

No one how many times,

We have broken down and cried.

We want to tell you something,

So there won't be any doubt,

You're so wonderful to think of,

But so hard to be without.

We cannot bring the old days back,

When we were all together,

The family chain is broken now,

But memories live forever.

It was a sudden parting,

Too bitter to forget,

Those who loved you dearly,

Are the ones who can’t forget.

Your life was one of kindly deeds,

A helping hand for others needs,

Sincere and true in heart and mind,

Beautiful memories left behind.

The blow was hard, the shock severe,

To part with one we loved so dear,

Our loss is great, we’ll not complain,

But trust in God to meet again.

Our family chain is broken,

Nothing seems the same,

But as God calls us one by one,

The links shall join again.

We hold you close within our hearts

And there you shall remain

To walk with us throughout our lives

Until we meet again.

So rest in peace dear loved one

And thanks for all you’ve done.

We pray that God has given you

The crown you’ve truly won.

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 that place at the close of 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.

We cannot bring the old days back,

When we were all together,

The family chain is broken now,

But memories live forever.

We miss you from your fireside chair,

Your loving smile and gentle air,

Your vacant place no-one can fill,

We miss you so and always will.

We think of you as living,

In the hearts of those you touched,

For nothing loved is ever lost,

And you were loved so much.

It broke our hearts to lose you,

But you did not go alone,

For part of us went with you,

The day God called you home.

      Life is eternal and

   Love is immortal and

death is only an horizon,

and an horizon is nothing

save the limit of our sight.

     Fr. Bede Jarret. OP.

Now I’ve 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 too long

And not with your head bowed low.

Remember the love that we once 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’s plan

A step on the road to home.

AFTERGLOW

I’d like the memory of me

to be a happy one,

so 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,

leaving a wealth of happy memories

when my life is done.

It is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning

that we are pardoned,

It is in dying

that we are born to eternal life.

A Letter From Heaven

I am writing this from heaven,

where I dwell with God above,

where there’s no more tears or sadness,

there is just eternal love.

Please do not be unhappy

because I’m out of sight,

remember that I’m with you,

every morning, noon and night.

And I will be beside you,

every day, and week, and year,

and when you’re sad I’m standing there

to wipe away the tear.

But one thing is for certain,

though my life on earth’s no more,

I am closer to you now

than I ever was before.

And when its time for you to go,

from that body to be free,

remember that you’re not going away,

you’re coming home to me.

And I will always love you,

from this happy land above,

I’ll soon be in touch again

with you;  PS God sends his love.

© 1998 Ruth Ann Mahaffey

Come, dry your tears, smile again, love,

I’m only a whisper away,

Near in the dusk of the evening,

Just out of sight through the day.

Watching you waking and sleeping,

Hearing each prayer that you pray,

Sending my love to surround you,

I’m only a whisper away.

Come, dry your tears, smile again, love,

Remember the good times

we’ve known,

Cherish the joy we discovered -

Love that was planted and grown.

Your road may seem lonely ahead,

And distant horizons look grey,

You won’t be walking alone, dear,

I’m only a whisper away.

Death is not the end of the road,

but a gateway to a better place.

It is in this place that our

noblest aspirations will be

realised. It is here that we will understand how our experiences

of goodness, love, beauty, and

joy are realities which exist

perfectly inGod. It is in Heaven

that we shall rest in Him and our hearts will be restless until they rest in God.

Cardinal Basil Hume

No further away than a picture,

A smile or remembered phrase,

Our loved ones live in memory,

So close in many ways.

For how often does a sunset,

Bring nostalgic thought to mind,

Of moments that our

loved one shared,

In days now left behind.

How often has a flower,

Or a crystal summer sky,

Brought golden reflections,

Of happy times gone by!

Yes, memory has a magic way,

Of keeping loved ones near,

Ever close in mind and heart,

Are the ones we hold most dear.