VERSE 1

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down
 in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of
 righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me: thy rod and
thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in
the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord for ever.

VERSE 2

Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
 he was walking along the beach with the
 Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from
 his life. For each scene he noticed two sets
 of footprints in the sand; one belonging to
 him, the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed
before him, he looked back at the footprints
 in the sand. He noticed that many times
 along the  path of his life there was only
 one set of footprints. He also noticed that it
 happened at the very lowest and saddest
 times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned
 the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once
 I decided to follow you, you’d 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 when I needed you
 most you  would  leave  me.”
The Lord replied, “My Precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
 During your times of trial and suffering,
 when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you.”

VERSE 3

Togetherness

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 you always used. Put
 no difference into 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 the household name it always
 was. Let it be spoken without effort.
 Life means all that it ever meant. It is
 the same as it ever was. Why should I
 be out of   your mind because I am out
of your sight? I am but waiting for you,
 for an interval, somewhere very near,
 just around the corner. All is well,
 nothing is past, nothing is lost. One
 brief moment and all will be  as it was
 before, only better, infinitely happier
 and forever. We will all be one
 together with Christ.

VERSE 4

MEMORARE

Remember O most loving Virgin
Mary, that it is a thing unheard of
that any one ever had recourse to
thy protection, implored thy help
or sought thy intercession, and
was left forsaken. Filled, therefore,
with confidence in thy goodness,
I fly to thee, O Mother, Virgin of
virgins; to thee I come, before thee
I stand a sorrowful sinner. Despise
not my poor words, O Mother of
the Word of God, but graciously
hear and grant my prayer. Amen.

VERSE 5

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 glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumnal rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine in the night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

VERSE 6

They say you were a special one
as God has chosen you,
they say you were a gentleman
and this we know is true.

So in our thoughts you'll always be
a very much loved member
of our special family,
for us all to remember.

So, until it's time for us to meet
with God, as you have done,
God bless you, may you rest in peace,
our brother, friend and son.

VERSE 7

We seem to give them back to Thee, O
 God, who gavest them to us. Yet as
 Thou didst not lose them in giving so
 do we not lose them by their return.
 Not as the world giveth, givest Thou,
 O lover of souls. What Thou givest,
 Thou takest not away, for what is
Thine is ours also if we are Thine.
And life is eternal and love is
 immortal, and death is only an
 horizon, and an horizon is nothing,
 save the limit of our sight. Lift us up,
 strong Son of God, that we may see
 further; cleanse our eyes that we may
 see more clearly; draw us closer to
 Thyself that we may know ourselves
 to be nearer to our loved ones who are
 with Thee. And while Thou dost
 prepare a place for us, prepare us also
 for that happy place, that where Thou
 art we may be also for evermore.

VERSE 8

You can only have one mother,
Patient, kind and true;
No other friend in all the world,
Will be the same to you,
When other friends forsake you,
To mother you will turn,
For all her loving kindness,
She asks nothing in return,
As we look upon her picture,
Sweet memories we recall,
Of a face so full of sunshine,
And a smile for one and all,
Sweet Jesus, take this message,
To our dear mother up above;
Tell her how we miss her,
And give her all our love.

VERSE 9

LORD make me an instrument
of Thy peace;
where there is hatred let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

LORD that I may seek to console
rather than to be consoled;
to understand, rather than
to be understood;
to love rather than to be loved.
For it is in giving that we receive;
in self-forgetfulness that we
find our true selves,
in forgiving that we are forgiven,
in dying that we are raised up to
life everlasting.

VERSE 10

OUR FATHER, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass
against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory.
For ever and ever.     Amen.

VERSE 10A

OUR FATHER, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass
against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.

VERSE 11

I  AM THE
 RESURRECTION
and the life; he that
believeth in Me although
he be dead; shall live;
and everyone that liveth,
 and believeth in Me,
shall not die for ever.

VERSE 12

When I must leave you for a little while,
Please do not grieve and shed wild tears
And hug your sorrow to you through
the years,
But start out bravely with a gallant smile
And for my sake and in my name
Live on and do all things the same.
Feed not your loneliness on empty days,
But fill each waking hour in useful ways.
Reach out your hand in comfort
and in cheer
And I in turn will comfort you
and hold you near,
And never, never be afraid to die,
For I am waiting for you in the sky !

VERSE 13

A light is from our household gone,
A voice we loved is stilled,
A place is vacant in our home,
That never can be filled.

Lonely is the home without you,
Life to us is not the same;
All the world would be like heaven,
If we could have you back again.

The happy hours we once enjoyed,
How sweet their memory still,
But death has left a vacant place,
This world can never fill.

How dearly we loved you,
And prayed that you might live,
But Jesus just beckoned,
And we had to give.

God gave us strength to bear it,
And courage to fight the blow,
What it has meant to lose you,
God alone will ever know.

May the God of love and mercy,
Care for our loved one who is gone,
And bless with consolation,
Those left to carry on.

We give our loved ones
back to God,
And just as He first gave
them to us
and did not lose them
in the giving,
so we have not lost them
in returning them to Him.
For life is eternal,
 love is immortal,
 death is only an horizon,
and an horizon is nothing
 but the limit of our
earthly sight.

VERSE 16

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 for you.

We cannot bring the old days back,
When we were all together,
Our family chain is broken now,
But memories live forever.

VERSE 17

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee,
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour
of our death.   Amen.

VERSE 18

There comes a time for all of us
When we must say good-bye,
But memories of those we love
Live on and never die.
Although the curtain falls at last,
Is that a cause to grieve?
The future life is brighter still
If only we believe.
So trust in God’s eternal care,
And when the Master calls,
We’ll know a fairer world’s beyond,
Although the curtain falls.

VERSE 19

I’d like the memory of me
to be a happy one.
I’d like to leave an
 after glow of smiles
when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo,
whispering softly
down the ways.
Of happy times and
laughing times and
bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those
who grieve,
to dry before the sun.
Of happy memories that I
leave when life is done.

VERSE 20

May the angels lead
thee into paradise.
May the choir of
angels receive thee,
may thou have
eternal rest.

VERSE 21

I am home 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.

Did you wonder I so calmly
Trod the valley of the shade?
Oh, but Jesus' love illumined
Every dark and fearful glade.

And He came Himself to meet me,
In that way so hard to tread,
And with Jesus' arm to lean on,
Could I have one doubt or dread?

Then 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 remains,
You shall rest in Jesus' land.

When the work is all completed,
He will gently call you home,
Oh, the rapture of that meeting,
Oh, the joy to see you come.

VERSE 22

Thank you for your
Masses, prayers, flowers
and messages of sympathy
which have been a source
of great comfort at this
time.
The Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass will be offered
for your intentions.

VERSE 23

†
We lost a father with a heart of gold,
How much we miss him can never be told,
He shared our troubles and helped us along,
If we follow his 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 father and always will.
†
He was a father so very rare,
Content in his home and always there,
On earth he toiled, in Heaven he rests,
God bless you father 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 sake.


VERSE 23A

†
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 sake.

VERSE 24

What she suffered she told but few,
She did not deserve what she went through,
Tired and weary she made no fuss,
But tried so hard to stay with us.
- + -
Two tired eyes are sleeping,
Two willing hands are still;
The one who worked so hard for us,
Is resting at God’s Will.
- + -
Our lips cannot speak how we loved her,
Our hearts cannot tell what to say,
But God only knows how we miss her,
In our home that is lonely today.
- + -
Your life was love and labour,
Your love for your family true;
You did your best for all of us,
We will always remember you.
- + -
In a near and silent graveyard,
Where the trees their branches wave,
Sleeps a kind and loving mother,
In her cold and lonely grave.
- + -
She bade no one a last farewell,
She raised her hand to none,
Her spirit flew before we knew,
That she from us had gone.

VERSE 24A

What he suffered he told but few,
He did not deserve what he went through,
Tired and weary he made no fuss,
But tried so hard to stay with us.
- + -
Two tired eyes are sleeping,
Two willing hands are still;
The one who worked so hard for us,
Is resting at God’s Will.
- + -
Our lips cannot speak how we loved him,
Our hearts cannot tell what to say,
But God only knows how we miss him,
In our home that is lonely today.
- + -
Your life was love and labour,
Your love for your family true;
You did your best for all of us,
We will always remember you.
- + -
In a near and silent graveyard,
Where the trees their branches wave,
Sleeps a kind and loving father,
In his cold and lonely grave.
- + -
He bade no one a last farewell,
He raised his hand to none,
His spirit flew before we knew,
That he from us had gone.

VERSE 25
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 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 place of destination.

Her diminished size is in me, not

in her; and just at the moment when

someone at my side says: “There! She’s

gone,” there are other eyes watching her

coming, and other voices ready to take up

the glad shout: “There she comes!”
And that is dying

VERSE 26

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.

For this is a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone,
It’s all a part of the Master’s plan,
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 good deeds,
Miss me but let me go.

VERSE 27

Don’t grieve for me now that I’m free,
I’m following paths God made for me.
I took His hand, I heard Him call,
Then turned and bid farewell to all.

I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to sing or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way,
I found my peace at close of day.

If my parting left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,
Yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened deep with sorrow,
I wish you sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I’ve savoured much.
Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all to brief,
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me,
God wants me now; He set me free.

VERSE 28

†
She bid no one a last farewell,
She raised her hand to none,
Her spirit flew, before we knew,
That she from us had gone.
†
We often sit and think of you,
And think of how you died,
To think you could not say goodbye,
Before you closed your eyes.
†
The Golden Gates did open,
A gentle voice said “Come”,
And with farewell unspoken,
We said “Thy Will be done”.
†
The happy hours we once enjoyed,
How sweet their memory still,
But death has left a vacant place,
This world can never fill.
†
Gone from us but leaving memories,
Death can never take away,
Memories that will always linger,
While upon this earth we stay.

VERSE 28A

†
He bid no one a last farewell,
He raised his hand to none,
His spirit flew, before we knew,
That he from us had gone.
†
We often sit and think of you,
And think of how you died,
To think you could not say goodbye,
Before you closed your eyes.
†
The Golden Gates did open,
A gentle voice said “Come”,
And with farewell unspoken,
We said “Thy Will be done”.
†
The happy hours we once enjoyed,
How sweet their memory still,
But death has left a vacant place,
This world can never fill.
†
Gone from us but leaving memories,
Death can never take away,
Memories that will always linger,
While upon this earth we stay.

VERSE 29

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 knew that you were suffering,
He knew you were in pain.
He knew you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough,
And 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.

VERSE 30

It was a sudden parting,
Too bitter to forget,
Those who loved you dearly,
Are the ones who can’t forget.

We often sit and think of you,
And think of how you died;
To think you could not say goodbye,
Before you closed your eyes.

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.

Two tired eyes are sleeping,
Two willing hands are still,
The one who worked so hard for us,
Is resting at God’s will.