St Anne's RC Parish Nantwich

A special collection of poetry and quotes dedicated to everyone who has had to say goodbye too soon

Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow I am the diamond glint on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain I am the gentle autumn rain. When you wake in the morning hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry I am not there, I did not die. Mary Frye

       

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come. Rabindranath Tagore

“Death is nothing at all.  It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which 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 that 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 an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well." Henry Scott Holland    

“If we have been pleased with life, we should not be displeased with death, since it comes from the hand of the same master.” Michelangelo              

                                                           

When I die if you need to weep Cry for your brother or sister Walking the street beside you And when you need me put your arms around anyone And give them what you need to give me. I want to leave you something Something better than words or sounds. Look for me in the people I've known or loved And if you cannot give me away At least let me live in your eyes and not on your mind. You can love me most by letting hands touch hands By letting bodies touch bodies And by letting go of children that need to be free. Love doesn't die, people do So when all that's left of me is love Give me away.

Merritt Malloy                                                                  

         

“Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.” Eskimo Legend        

A rose once grew where all could see, sheltered beside a garden wall. And, as the days passed swiftly by, it spread its branches, straight and tall. One day, a beam of light shone through a crevice that had opened wide. The rose bent gently toward its warmth then passed beyond to the other side. Now, you who deeply feel its loss, be comforted, the rose blooms there. Its beauty even greater now, nurtured by God's own loving care.

The Rose Beyond The Wall  

“I look at life as a gift of God. Now that he wants it back I have no right to complain.” Joyce Cary    

We are all ships returning home laden with life's experience, memories of work, good times and sorrows, each with his special cargo; And it is our common lot to show the marks of the voyage, here a shattered prow, there a patched rigging, and every hulk turned black by the unceasing batter of the restless wave. May we be thankful for fair weather and smooth seas, and in times of storm have the courage and patience that mark every good mariner; And, overall, may we have the cheering hope of joyful meetings, as our ship at last drops anchor in the still water of the eternal harbor. Max Ehrmann  

         

“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”   Cherokee Expression                      

"When it comes time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." Tecumseh

“God has been so good to me; He has given me two hands To pick His roses with - And two eyes - to see his rainbow - Why should I complain When they are aged and wrinkled And He asks me to return them, For new ones perhaps?” John Sims        

         

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. Richard Bach             

“Life is a great sunrise. I do not see why death should not be an even greater one.” Vladimir Nobokov                           

"I wanted a perfect ending... Now, I've learned the hard way that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity." Gilda Radner, 1946-1989

“Whoever brought me here will have to take me home.” Rumi