Funeral Verse

(Please respect the intellectual property for the verses included which are Sue Henthorn original words.
 An email to ask for permission to use them is welcomed)

General Verse

The Last Stop Before the Stars
(A goodbye held at Pinnaroo chapel)

This is where I leave from

My last stop before the stars

Feel my presence here among you all

As you hear my epitaph

 My body now is left behind

My spirit now will soar

And play among the stars now

As it surely should.

 And my laughter will still ring out

And join once more with yours

As you see my smiles on the photos here

The pictures of my life-my joy    

 ’ve gone now through that final door.

But my last stop before I depart

Will always and for evermore

Be forever in your heart

 Wish me well with music, a real celebration

And see me off in a brightened room

Full of light and love and laughter

A few tears but please - no gloom.

 Some may think I’m gone to heaven

Some may think I am just gone.

This was my last stop before the stars

Let my love for you be what lingers on.

Sue Henthorn©

Hold Me In Your Dreams

Hold me in your dreams

And we’ll always be together.

Sleep you softly each night

As we meet along the nether.

 We shall laugh and love

As we did when I was here

And warmth shall enfold us

As we meet each night - my dear

 Hold me in your dreams

I will be with you now and always

Holding your hand

As we walk along the pathways

 While you hold me in your dreams

I will stay with you - come whatever

My love shall reach you

And be with you - forever

 Sue Henthorn ©
For My mum, Hazel and brother, Stephen
Christmas 2009

Hold Me in Your Dreams ‘2’

Hold me in your dreams

Let me live on in your minds eye

And the love that we shared

Means our love will never die

Hold me in your dreams

And we’ll dance upon a distant star

And the love that we shared

Will be what warms you from afar

 And if your dreams unfold

As the years go passing by

Please laugh and love and sing

As we did before it was my turn to die.

 Hold me in your dreams

Let my memory live on in you

As each thought that you bring to mind

Makes what we had so precious and so true.

 Life here on earth with you

Was a treasure beyond compare

So hold me in your dreams

Until the dreaming afterlife we’ll share.

Sue Henthorn©

Grief Is Like a River

My grief is like a river,
I have to let it flow,
But I myself determine
Just where the banks will go.
Some days the current takes me
In waves of guilt and pain,
But there are always quiet pools
Where I can rest again,
I crash on rocks of anger,
My faith seems faint indeed,
But there are other swimmers
Who know that what I need
Are loving hands to hold me
When waters are to swift,
And someone kind to listen
When I just seem to drift.
Grief's river is a process
Of relinquishing the past,
By swimming in Hope's channels,
I'll reach the shore at last.
Cynthia G. Kelley

Miss Me but 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 too long

And not with your head bowed low.

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me but let me go

This is a journey that we all must take,

And each must go alone

It’s all part of life’s master plan

It’s a step on the road to home

When you are lonely and sick of heart,

Go to the friends we know

And bury your sorrows in doing deeds

Miss me but let me go.

Author unknown

We Will Remember You

In the rising of the sun and when it sets,

We will remember you.

In the beginning of the year and when it ends,

We will remember you.

When we see in others, glimpses of your ways,

We will remember you.

When we see in ourselves things that you would value,

We will remember you.

As long as we live, you too will live

As we remember you.

Author unknown

At Rest

Think of me as one at rest,

 For me you should not weep

I have no pain, no troubled thoughts,

No sorrows do I keep

The living thinking me that was,

Is now forever still

And life goes on without me

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 that liked me

I sincerely thank you all

Those of you who loved me

I thank you most of all

For in that span of years 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.

Author unknown

Sweet Remembrance

Let fate do her worst;

There are relics of joy,

Bright dreams of the past,

 Which she cannot destroy;

And which come in the night-time

Of sorrow and care,

To bring back the features

 That joy used to wear.

Long, long be my heart with

Such memories filled,

Like the vase in which roses

Have once been distilled;

You may break, you may

Ruin the vase, if you will,

But the scent of the roses

Will hang round it still.

T Moore

In the words of George Elliot

“What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined
for life to strengthen each other in all labour, to rest on each other in sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain,
to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories at the moment of the last parting”
 

Now That I Am Gone

 Now that I am gone,

Remember me with smiles and laughter.

And if you need to cry,

Cry with your brother or sister

Who walks in grief beside you.

And when you need me,

Put your arms around anyone

And give to them what you need to give to me.

There are so many who need so much.

I want to leave you something—-

Something much better than words or sounds.

Look for me in the people I’ve known

Or helped in some special way.

Let me live in your heart

As well as in your mind.

You can love me most

By letting your love reach out to our loved ones,

By embracing them and living in their love.

Love does not die, people do.

So, when all that’s left of me is love,

Give me away as best you can.

Author unknown

Life Lives On

Life lives on

Those we love remain with us

For love itself lives on

Cherished memories never fade

Because our loved one is gone

Those we love can never be

More than a thought apart

For as long as there’s a memory

They live on in our heart.

Author unknown

Death is Nothing at All

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 to 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 a shadow on it

Life means all that it ever meant

It is the same as it ever was

There is absolutely 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

Canon Henry Scott-Holland

I Am Always With You

When I am gone, release me, let me go

I have so many things to see and do

You mustn’t tie yourself to me with too many tears

But be thankful we had so many good years

I gave you my love, and you can only guess

How much you’ve given me in happiness

I thank you for the love that you have shown

But now it is time I travelled on alone

So grieve for me a while, if grieve you must

Then let your grief be comforted by trust

That it is only for a while that we must part

So treasure the memories within your heart

I won’t be far away for life goes on

And if you need me, call me and I will come

Though you can’t see or touch me, I will be near

And if you listen with your heart, you’ll hear

All my love around you soft and clear

And then, when you come this way alone

I’ll greet you with a smile and a “Welcome Home”.

Linda Rogers

May the winds of love

Blow softly,

And whisper

For you to hear

That I will love

You always

And

Forever keep you near.

Author unknown

Do Not Look at My Death and Weep

Do not look at my death and weep

Remember, in this world I do not sleep.

Find me in the gentle winds that blow.

Find me in the quiet garden where flowers grow.

Find me in the sunlight sparkling on gentle seas,

Find me in the salt spray of waves crashing free.

When you awaken in the morning’s rush

Find me in the love song of the Mistle-thrush

as you gaze up at the sky at night

know me as part of the universal light

Do not look at my death and cry,

I’m at one with land, sea, and sky

Author unknown

Word

There is a word, of grief the sounding token.

There is a word bejewelled with bright tears.

The saddest word fond lips have ever spoken.

A little word that breaks the chain of years.

Its utterance must ever bring emotion

The memories it crystals cannot die,

‘Tis known in every land on every ocean.

It is…   Goodbye.

Author unknown

Cancer

Someone once said ‘to take the power away from a word,

One must say and use it loudly and unsuitably’

Cancer is such a lonely - at times forlorn condition,

Its power one of isolation and separateness.

For - just as all around you are gearing up for tomorrow

And it’s bright prospects,

You are heaving from nausea and contemplating

Another day of silence as your voice recedes.

Cancer shuts out the hope, the essence of a family;

As all deal with its presence

With either denial - or patronising bonhomie.

And the one amongst us with cancer struggles with

Horror – horror - of un-love whilst in this retched state.

And fear that it’s looming and seemingly

Never-ending round of treatment

Will prove too much for those who accompany one.

Cancer, the very word one of shock and recoil,

Pervades all and sundry in its stride.

As desperately ones hope, and self loathing

Walk together side by side.

Cancer, like plague –

A sort of stand back or you may catch something;

A type of barrier between normality and despair.

 Sue Henthorn © 20.8.2006

THERE IS A NEW STAR SHINING IN THE SKY TONIGHT

There is an old belief that the stars shining in the night sky are the spirits of those who have died.
They have shed their earthly bodies and exchanged them for bodies made of light;
thousands upon thousands of our dear departed friends all promoted to glory in the night sky.
There is another saying that the brightest flame burns the shortest.

You were the brightest star in my own universe.
While I burn on, my flame dimmed by grief and despair at your passing, the stars are watching me.
They are too far away for me to touch, just as you have gone somewhere I cannot follow until my own star-time comes.
They cannot be held close for comfort, just as I can no longer hold you close,
though I held you close to comfort you in your final hours
We were together for such a short time, but the stars will burn forever.

One day I will grow tired of this earthbound body,
my own star-time will come and my spirit will soar into the sky to burn
With all those lovely family and friends who have gone before me.
On the inky cloth of space we will be reunited in constellations of joy.
Until then, my flame burns low and dim and cold without you.
Through my tears I look upwards to see if you are watching me and what do I see?

There is a new star shining in the sky tonight

 Song by Christina Rossetti

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,
 
A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
 
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:
 
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

Sing No Sad Songs For Me

When I am dead, my dearest,

Sing no sad songs for me;

Plant thou no roses at my head,

Nor shady cypress tree:

Be the green grass above me

With showers and dewdrops wet;

And if thou wilt, remember,

And if thou wilt, forget.

I shall not see the shadows,

I shall not feel the rain;

I shall not hear the nightingale

Sing on, as if in pain;

And dreaming through the twilight

That doth not rise nor set,

Haply I may remember,

And haply may forget.

Author unknown

Silent Tear

Each night we shed a silent tear

As we speak to you in prayer

To let you know we love you

And just how much we care

Take our million teardrops

Wrap them up in love

Then ask the wind to carry them

To you in heaven above.

Author unknown

Because I Have Loved Life

Because I have loved life

I shall have no sorrow to die.

I have sent up my gladness on wings,

To be lost in the blue of the sky.

I have run and leaped with the rain,

I have taken the wind to my breast.

My cheek like a drowsy child

To the face of the earth I have pressed.

Because I have loved life,

I shall have no sorrow to die.

 Amelia Josephine Burr

Enjoy the Journey

It is a short journey from

Birth until death

Seek to enjoy the journey

As much as you can

Savour the scenery and

The people you meet enroute,

The sights to be seen

The words to be heard

The love and the laughter

The hugs and the tears

Take time to embrace them all

And never let life be a rehearsal

For it is a short time

And it is all.

Sue Henthorn©
 

Remembering You Is Easy

Remembering you is easy

We do it every day

It’s the loss we feel without you

That will not go away

We cry a tear, we whisper low

We love you 'Lou', more and more

Memories are like stars that shine

They last until the end of time

For those we love don’t go away

They walk beside us every day

The tears we cry are all in pain

We will not see your face again

But in our hearts you will always stay

So very loved and not so far away.

anon

I Am Only a Whisper Away

Come dry your tears and smile again,

I’m only a whisper away.

Near the dusk of the evening,

Just out of sight through the day.

Watching you walking and sleeping

Hearing each prayer that you pray,

Sending my love to surround you,

I’m only a whisper away.

Come dry your tears and smile again,

Remember the good times we’ve known,

Cherish the joy we discovered and the love

That was planted and grown.

Your road might seem lonely ahead

And distant horizons look grey,

But you won’t be walking alone,

Because I’m only a whisper away.

Author unknown
 

Let Me Die Working

Let me die working

Still tackling plans unfinished, tasks undone!

Clean to its end, swift may my race be run.

No laggard steps, no faltering, no shirking

Let me die working!

Let me die thinking.

Let me fare forth still with an open mind,

Fresh secrets to unfold, new truths to find,

My soul undimmed, alert, no question blinking;

Let me die thinking!

Let me die laughing.

No sighing o’er past sins; they are forgiven.

Spilled on this earth are all the joys of heaven;

The wine of life, the cup of mirth quaffing

Let me die laughing!

Dr S Hall Young

Today

Today we farewell a friend;

One we have laughed with and cried with,

One we have learned from and shared with,

One we are proud to have known.

Today we farewell (name), one we loved.

Author unknown

Remember Only My Best

When I come to the end of my journey

And I travel my last weary mile,

Just forget, if you can, that I ever frowned

And remember only the smile.

Forget unkind words I have spoken;

Remember some good I have done.

Forget that I’ve stumbled and blundered

And sometimes fell by the way.

Remember I have fought some hard battles

And won, ere the close of the day.

Then forget to grieve for my going;

I would not have you sad for a day,

But in summer just gather some flowers

And remember your hearts where I’ll stay,

And pause in the shade of the evening

When the sun paints the sky in the west.

Stand for a few moments and think of me

And remember only my best.

Author unknown
 

A Sailors Last Wish

When it comes my time to go,

Take me out to sea, set my spirit free

I want to go where the four winds blow

Scatter my dust, set my spirit free

A sailors dream of heaven is found upon the sea

Not in some sunlit meadow beneath a shady tree

When it comes my time to go,

                                 Take me out to sea, set my spirit free.                                

   anon

Remembered Joy

Don‘t grieve for me, for now I’m free!

I’m following the path life laid for me.

I strode life’s pathways one and all,

Then ventured beyond and left it all…

I could not stay another day,

To love to laugh, to work or play;

Tasks left undone must stay that way.

I found that peace at close of day.

And 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, shall miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow

My life’s been full, I’ve savoured much:

Good times, good friends, a loved-one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all to brief -

Don’t shorten yours with undue grief.

Lift up your hearts and share with me

I am at peace; I am now free.

Author unknown

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 the 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 awake to the morning light,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight

I am the soft stars that shine at night

My time has come, I am at rest,

I am the sunset in the West,

I am the clouds that race above,

Where I watch over those I love.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there, I do not die,

So hear these words that here I say,

I am the love that guides your way.

Author unknown

Life

Life...so fragile

Loss…  so sudden

Heart…  so broken

In the wake of such a loss,

We’re haunted by things

We don’t—and may never

Understand.

Yet the solace we seek

May not come from

Answers.

So we look for comfort

In the belief

Of love’s everlasting connection.

May that love lift you,

Hold you close,

And give you peace.

Author unknown

She Is Just Away

You cannot say, you must not say

That she is dead, she is just away!

With a cheery smile

And a wave of the hand

She has wandered into an unknown land

And left us dreaming how very fair

It needs must be

Since she lingers there;

So think of her as faring on, as dear

In the love of There as the love of Here,

Think of her still as the same, and say

She is not dead, she is just away.

Adapted from the writings of

James Whitcomb Riley
 

In Leaving You Behind

Perhaps with time, this painful state, fades softly from your mind

I hope and pray a piece of me, I’ll quietly leave behind

My words, my actions, my spirit – the good I gently sieved

From the patterned lace of life, the tapestry I weaved,

Each tiny stitch as years passed by bravely etched in gold

To fulfill dreams I perceived as real, though buffeted and cold,

The purpose of my life was real, each passing day and week –

I often tried, but sometimes lost, the objectives I did seek

If one day remembering, you hold my picture in your hand

A day when memories wash around, like waves upon the sand

Please forgive the things I said, in thoughtless frame of mind

Those wasted days, those hasty words, forgetfulness, do find

Just try to savour the good deeds, the courage and the will

The goals I bravely attempted whilst labouring uphill

The special thrill of laughter, the humour, not the pain

A loving vestige of my whole, a melody’s soft refrain

So close your eyes and say a prayer, and think of days gone by

Maybe all those special thoughts, will even make you cry

Just wipe away those troubled tears, they’re not meant to be

Just gather joyful souvenirs, think loving thoughts of me

For the happiness I searched in life, some joke, a song, a rhyme

The bliss when certain goals achieved, through dilemmas of time

The scars, the scrapes, the knocks and breaks, my soul did freely fend

I hope at last a peaceful shore is awaiting me, round the bend

Goodbye my precious loved ones,

I thank you for having spent some special time with me……..

Ruth Van Gramberg
 

The Tragedy of Life

Peace My Heart

Peace, my heart, let the time for the parting be sweet.

Let it not be a death but completeness.

Let love melt into memory and pain into songs.

Let the flight through the sky end in the folding of the wings over the nest.

Let the last touch of your hands be gentle like the flower of the night.

Stand still, O Beautiful End, for a moment, and say your last words in silence.

I bow to you and hold up my lamp to light you on your way.

Rabindranath Tagore

“When we walk to the edge of all the light we have

And take a step into the darkness of the unknown,

We must believe one of two things will happen —

There will be something solid for us to stand upon,

Or we will be taught to fly.”

Unknown

Forever Young (Song Lyrics)

May the good Lord be with you down every road you roam,

And may sunshine and happiness surround you when you're far from home.

May you grow to be proud, dignified and true,

And do unto others as you'd have done to you.

Be courageous and be brave,

And in my heart you'll always stay

Forever Young (Forever young)

Forever Young (Forever young)

May good fortune be with you and may your guiding light be strong,

Build a stairway to heaven with a prince or a vagabond

And may you never love with vain,

And in my heart you will remain

Forever Young (Forever young)

Forever Young (Forever young)

When you finally fly away I'll be hoping that I served you well,

For all the wisdom of a lifetime no one can ever tell,

But whatever road you choose,

I'm right behind you win or lose.

Forever Young (Forever young)

Forever Young (Forever young)

By Rod Stewart

 This Great Heritage

They are not dead

Who leave us this great heritage of

Remembered joy.

They still live in our hearts

In the happiness we knew -

In the dreams we shared.

They still breathe in

The lingering fragrance -

Windblown from their favourite flowers.

They still smile in

The moonlight’s silver

And laugh in the sun’s sparkling gold.

They still speak

In the echo of words

We’ve heard them say -

Again and again.

They still move in

The rhythm of waving grass

And the dance of tossing branches.

They are not dead -

Their memory is warm in our hearts.

They are not apart from us

But a part of us

For love is eternal

And those we love

Shall be with us throughout eternity.

unknown

 ‘His laughter was better than birds in the morning; his smile turned the edge of the wind

 his memory disarms death and charms the surly grave.

 Early he went to bed, too early we saw his light put out;

yet we could not grieve more than a little while,

 for he lives in the earth around us, laughs from the sky.’

C S Lewis

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross says…

“Whatever the truth about life after death, we are certain that death does not exist as we imagine it.

 If you feel your loved one’s presence, do not doubt it.

 They still exist. Birth is not a beginning and death is not an ending.

 On the other hand there are many who believe that when you die, that is it.

 There is nothing else, and your energy lives on only in those around you.

 If this is true, then our loved ones live on in us in an even more tangible way than we thought.”

The Little Prince

In one of the stars

I shall be living

In one of them

I shall be laughing

And so it will be

As if all the stars

Were laughing

When you look

At the sky at night

~

And there is sweetness

In the laughter

Of all the stars

And in the memory

Of those you love.

Antoine de Saint-Exupey

Words from Tolkein

Frodo sings the following to the other fellow travellers, words of encouragement as they travel in the dark forest.

O! Wanderers in the shadowed land
despair not! For though dark they stand,
all woods there be must end at last,
and see the open sun go past:
the setting sun, the rising sun,
the day's end, or the day begun.
For east or west all woods must fail

Tolkein

Guided by the Lonely Star,
beyond the utmost harbour-bar,
I'll find the heavens fair and free,
and beaches of the Starlit Sea.

-Bilbo Baggins, Bilbo's Last Song

Tolkein

"Westu hál " - a blessed afterlife - as spoken by Gandalf. Tolkein

 Over the land there lies a long shadow,
Westward reaching wings of darkness.
The Tower trembles; to the tombs of Kings
doom approaches. The Dead awaken:
for the hour is come for the oathbreakers;
at the Stone of Erech they shall stand again
and hear a horn in the hills ringing.
Whose shall be horn? Who shall call them
from grey twilight, the forgotten people?
The heir of him to whom the oath they swore.
From the North shall he come, need shall drive him:
he shall pass the Door to the Paths of the Dead.

Thus spoke Malbeth the Seer, in the days of Arvedui, last king at Fornost. Tolkein

 Memories Of You

Your heart slips from my cold hands,

To shatter on the stone beneath my feet.

 Lost now in weathered sands,

A silent void without a beat.

 A red sun sets over our love.

Hope fades with the failing light.

 Soon will come another dawn.

The sun will once again be bright.

 A kiss that shall? Strength renew.

Find the shards and forge anew.

 And when at night I lie awake,

Under moonlight and falling rain,

My thoughts will turn to you.

 Memories of you shall never wither.

The love we shared will never die.

 Though love will not be caged,

So set it free and let it fly.

 Christopher Sebastian Grieve

 We Are Really Not Alone

Close your eyes

And think of your loved one

And they are there

Feel a breeze on your cheek

When there is no breeze

A kiss from your loved one is there

You feel warm and at peace

A hug from your loved one is there

Your memory takes you back

To some funny little thing

Your loved one is standing there

You are standing in a room

By yourself

But you are not alone

Your loved one is watching over you

You are not alone

Smell, feel, see and bring

All your senses together

Because they are really there

It’s alright to feel tears

Anger, hurt and remorse

Say what you feel to them

Because they can hear you

Then let it go

They are happy and at peace

They want that for you too

Your loved one’s understand

How you feel

But they want you to be happy too

So close your eyes

And feel, because

They are really there

You are really not alone.

Kaye Owen

PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE

PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON

 People come into your life for a REASON, a SEASON or a LIFETIME.

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support,

to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend and they are.

They are there for the REASON you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,

this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die.

Sometimes they walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

 Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it, it is real.

But only for a SEASON!

 LIFETIME relationships teach you LIFETIME lessons,

things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use

in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

 Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a REASON, a SEASON or a LIFETIME

Author unknown

At Christmas…

We Light Candles to Remember Our Loved One

As we light these five candles in honour of you we light

one for our own grief,

one for courage,

one for our memories,

one for love and

one for hope.

Candle 1. This candle represents our grief.

The pain of losing you is intense, it reminds us of the depth of our love for you.

                  Candle 2.  This candle represents our courage — to confront our sorrow, to comfort each other, and to change our lives.

 Candle 3.   This candle is in your memory — the times we laughed, the times we cried, the times we were angry with each other,

the silly things you did, and the caring and joy you gave us.

 Candle 4.   This candle is the candle of love. As we enter this holiday season day by day we cherish the special place in our hearts

that will always be reserved for you. We thank you for the gift your living brought to each of us.

 Candle 5.    And this candle is the light of hope. It reminds us of memories of you that are ours forever.

May the glow of the flame be our source of hopefulness now and forever.

I Will Remember Too

We light a candle in memory of your loved one

We light a candle in memory of your grief

We light a candle in memory of your courage to keep going

We light a candle in memory of the special times you shared

With your loved one

And we light a candle in memory of your love.

 As we enter the holiday season

I know that day by day you will cherish

The memory of the love that you shared

And that you will never forget

I will remember too.

Sue Henthorn©

A Special Feather

How lightly doth this special feather rest

Held now so very gently

In my trembling hand

This special feather

That once adorned your proud breast.

How heavy doth my heart now be

As it beats in sadness

And longing

This heart, your heart

Together now eternally.

How gladly did my special boy sing

Each morn – each night

He filled the air with song

His chirps and trills

Are now silent and undone.

How can a home be so bereft

Of songs sung so sweetly

Of chirrups trilled so proudly

As in my hands he perched

These hands – this home now feels so empty.

How lightly doth this special feather rest

My treasure, my pleasure

His song now

So quiet

How lightly doth this special feather rest.

Sue Henthorn© for Jude and her beloved 'Special'

A Gothic Goodbye

Camouflage our hearts

Hide our souls

The light of dawn

Shield mine eyes

Grief calls me

Along it’s tangled briars

Black, to surround me

In it’s comforting void

Leading me ever nearer

Yet, you recede from view

Fare thee well our GOTHIC sister.

Sue Henthorn©

Gone

My days are like to a deserted wasteland

Grey mist, but no colour in my veins

Blood is utter red and red is all I see

If I could see you once more

To touch, your reality

Your life essence

Gone now, gone…………...gone.

Sue Henthorn©

I Am Alone

 Wipe away all my tears

I held your hand through darkness

Wipe away all my tears

I sat by you and saw our future

Wipe away all my tears

I shared your times of turmoil

Wipe away all my tears

Without you I am alone

Sue Henthorn©

Without You Here

Windows, shuttered flapping in the dark

Doors, ajar to empty rooms

Moths, fluttering against bare globes

Clouds, obscuring the sun

These are my images without you here.

Sue Henthorn©

A Journey Of Torture

 In a kaleidoscope of substance

She manifested

Light and dark,

Pleasure and pain

Persuasive images

Perseverance without end

Acknowledging neither

Existence or heart

Her youth twisted

In molten dreams

Mixed feelings

Tears and blood

An odyssey of

Pierced veins

A journey of torture

With silent screams.

Sue Henthorn©

Spike Milligen’s words

The clock has turned enough to reach a planet

Life is endless night

I hear wings beating in the dark of my room

A giant Raven is waiting-

For me to fall asleep.