Bereavement Journey

Prayers

2005-10-20T14:35:00.000+10:00

Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thyy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

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God, gant me the courage to change the things I can change,
the serenity to accept those I cannot change,
and the wisdom to know the difference,
But God, grant me the courage not to give up on what I think is right,
even though I think it is hopeless.

St Francis of Assisi

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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.

O Diving Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

St Francis of Assisi

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Dear Lord,
I may not see the sun and moon lose thier light.
I may not witness rivers turn red, or stars fall from the sky.
Yet there are times when my world becomes unhinged
and the foundations of what I believe crack and dissolve.
Give me the grace to believe that Your power is at work
in the turmoil of my life.
Lead me to remember that Your power is greater than all evil,
and though the world may rock and sometimes break,
it will in time be transformed by Your Love.

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For The Absent

God, whose fatherly care reaches to the uttermost parts of the earth: We humbly beseech you graciously to behold and bless whom we love, now absent from us. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body; and grant that both they and we, drawing nearer to you, may be bound together by your love in the communion of your Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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For Those We Love

Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us to your never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come, knowing that you are doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Prayer for Lonely People
Loving God,
there are times in each life
when there is no one.
No one with whom to share
a word,
a laugh,
a sad rememberance,
a gentle touch,
a fond embrace,
a kiss of love.
Bless each on who suffers
from such loneliness.
Enrich life with a friend
or gentle stranger
who will apend a moment
noticing
and loving.
In those times
your love shines through,
the world is reborn,
and Christ is known.
So be in!
Amen.

~ Vienna Cobb Anderson ~

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Prayer to Do Good

Forgive me, most gracious Lord and Father, if this day I have done or said anything to increase the pain of the world. Pardon the unkind word, the impatient gesture, the hard and selfish deed, the failure to show sympathy and kindly help where I had the opportunity, but missed it; and enable me so to live that I may daily do something to lessen the tide of human sorrow, and add to the sum of human happiness.

~ F. B. Meyer ~

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Prayer to Do What's Right

O Almighty and Everlasting God, Creator of Heaven, Earth, and the Universe, help me to be, to think, to act what is right, because it is right, Make me truthful, honest, and honorable in all things; make me intellectually honest for the sake of right and honour and without thought of reward to me, Give me the ability to be charitable, forgiving, and patient with my fellow men. Help me to understand their motives and their shortcomings, even as thou understandest mine! Amen.

~ Robert E. Lee ~

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For Times of Fear

Almighty God, the Refuge of all that are distressed, grant unto us that, in all trouble of this our mortal life, we may flee to the knowledge of Thy loving kindness and tender mercy; that so, sheltering ourselves therein, the storms of life may pass over us, and not shake the peace of God that is within us. Whatsoever this life may bring us, grant that it may never take from us the full faith that Thou art our Father. Grant us Thy light, that we may have life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ George Dawson ~

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Prayers for Those Who Mourn
Bless those who mourn, eternal God,
with the comfort of your love
that they may face each new day with hope
and the certainty that nothing can destroy
the good that has been given. May their memories become joyful,
their days enriched with frienship,
and their lives encircled by your love.
Amen.

~ Vienna Cobb Anderson ~

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I Look to Thee in Every Need
I look to Thee in every need, and never look in vain;
I feel Thy strong and tender love, and all is well again.
The thought of Thee is mightier far than sin and pain and sorrow are.

Discouraged in the work of life, disheartened by its load,
Shamed by its failures or its fears, I sink beside the road.
But let me only think of Thee and then new heart springs up in me.

Thy calmness bends serene above, my restlessness to still;
Around me flows Thy quickening life, to nerve my faltering will.
They presence fills my solitude, Thye providence turns all to good.

Enfolded deep in Thy dear love, held in Thy law, I stand;
Thy hand in all things I behold, and all things in Thy hand.
Thou leadest me by unsought ways, and turn my mouring into praise.

~ Samuel Longfellow ~

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Teach Us to Love

O God, perfect us in love, that we may conquer all selfishness and hatred of other; fill our hearts with Thy joy, and shed abroad in them Thy peace which passeth understanding; that so those murmurings and disputing to which we are too prone may be overcome. Make us long-suffering and gently, and thus subdue our hastiness and angry tempersm and grant that we may bring forth the blessed fruits of the Spirit. to Thy praise and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~Rev. henry Alford ~

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Whispers from Heaven

2005-10-19T08:34:00.000+10:00

Whispers from Heaven

They say that life is fleeting
I know that this is true
I left this world so quickly
with no goodbye to you.
I know how much you miss me
Your tears fall ever light
The pillow where you lay your head
is wet with them at night.

I know your heart is hurting
The words we left, unsaid
I love you's, left unspoken
are spinning in your head.

The strength that I have carried
that served to make you whole
remains to make you stronger
within your grieving soul.

For you see, while you were weeping
on the day I passed away
at the gravesite near the flowers
where my loved ones knelt to pray
an angel came to see me.
She took me by the hand
She led me to a kingdom
in a very distant land.

As I look down from heaven
and see you standing there
your heart so ever burdened
with more grief that it can bear.

I long to bring you comfort
I long to give you peace
I long to hold you closely
cause all your tears to cease.

The joy I've found in heaven
goes far beyond compare.
The love that's so elusive
can be found here everwhere.

The light is softly shining
there's no storm clouds here or rain
there's no teardrops found in heaven
there's no suffering, there is no pain.

You needn't be so troubled
stay close to God and pray
that someday we'll be together
one bright and glorious day.

So my love, you shouldn't question
my dear you need not cry
I've gone to be with Jesus
I really didn't die.

Written by Marilyn Ferguson 2004

To Those I Love

2005-10-19T08:32:00.000+10:00

To those I love and those who love me :

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 tears.
Be thankful for our beautiful years.

I gave to you my love.
You can only guess
How much you gave to me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you each have shown.
But now it’s time I traveled on alone.

So grieve a while for me, if you must.
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It’s only for a time that we must part
So bless the memories within your heart.

I won’t be far away, for life goes on.
So if you need me, call, and I will come.
Though you can’t see me or touch me,
I’ll be here and if you listen with your heart,
You’ll hear all my love around you soft and clear.

And then, when you must come
This way alone I’ll greet you with a smile and say,
Welcome home

~ Anonymous ~

Eulogy

2005-10-19T08:26:00.000+10:00

This is the most difficult speech that I have ever prepared. I had wanted to say a few personal words, but was very concerned about how they would be taken. Then I realised that if you were not Roy’s friends, you would not be here today to share my grief over the loss of such a beautiful man, and to farewell him in his last journey. I therefore open to you all so that you can see what a wonderful man Roy was.

First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you for being here today, and especially to some of you who had helped me through in the past few days.

With my limited grasp of the language, I could not find enough words to describe how wonderful this loving man was. Roy and I had been together for almost 27 years. It would have gone on forever had it not been for God’s grace that he was released early from his sufferings, and so peacefully, for which I feel extremely sorrowful, and yet grateful to His wisdom.

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Roy had an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and curiosity akin to a child. He was a man of passion. He loved the classics, literatures, poetry, paintings, music, horses, roses and a scotch or two, Teacher’s being his favourite. He was an intellectual in his own right. He dazzled me with his quotes from Shakespeare, and taught me to look at colours in ways that I could not have thought of. He read widely and remembered them all. His memory was phenomenal. At 80 years of age, he even learned how to use a computer and various difficult programmes, all by himself. I was both amazed and very proud of him.

His two favourite classical composers were Papa Haydn and Mozart. The only thing that marred his full appreciation of their music was the loss of his hearing, which he suffered during the Second World War. He joined the army by overstating his age, and fought for Australia in New Guinea. It was the relentless firing of cannons next to him that resulted in his loss of hearing.

He also had passion for horses, and had special affinity for the fillies and mares. He knew the breeding extremely well, and could name the bloodline of any horse several generations back. He was the only person I knew who could identify a horse by its racing name even without looking at its racing colours or number. He loved the smell of horses.

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Roy was a charitable man; even though he did not have the resources he would share what he had with others, down to the last penny. He was most hospitable; his home would always open to any weary traveller who needed a rest. He was indeed a very trusting man.

There is no doubt in my mind that Roy had had hard times for the most part of his earlier life. In his life time he had seen several departures of his loved ones who had been nearest to his heart. Being a man of compassion, he had looked after each of them tirelessly, comforting them, and had helped them through the most difficult times when love and cares were needed most, and had never uttered one word of complaint. He had borne the pains and mourned their eventual passing even to the last days of his life.

Roy loved all his friends, and any friend of his friends would be his friends as well, you could be assured of that. His love was unconditional, and his kindness unbound. He had nursed me back to health when I was extremely ill, and had indulged me over the years without any question. I have not known a man who could be so kind and generous. He never was a person who would impose, and had always told me that he had taken up too much of my time, which was a complete nonsense. It was I who had taken up too much of his most valuable time. I could not thank him enough for what he had done for me over the past 26 odd years, and sadly, I could not now reciprocate. His sufferings had been seen but not heard, but being the kind of person he was, he would always cover them up with his characteristic smiles and dismiss them as if they were nothing.

Roy was a perfect and honourable gentleman in the true sense of the word. Dignity was very important to him. Those who knew him would remember that he had always dressed up immaculately - understated, yet dignified.

Roy was well known for his affection. He would hold your hands while talking with you, put his arms around your shoulders when walking along, and hugged you whenever you needed one. There had never been a shortage of hugs in our home, as we really cared and loved each other very, very much. His warmth and strength were embracing, and one always felt safe just by being there with him. Destiny had been extremely kind to me when she brought Roy into my life. I still don’t know what I had done to deserve this wonderful man. 26 odd years were too short, if only it could be for another 26. But for what we had, I am forever grateful and shall treasure his memories till the day when I, too, can no longer stay.

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As you had always said to me, Roy, now I am saying back to you : Good Night, my Sweet Prince. Thank you for your love, kindness, selflessness and generosity. You had been my love, my friend, and my mentor. You were the lighthouse that guided me home when I was lost at sea, and the anchor that ceased my aimless drift. Without your strength, support, patience, and understanding over the years, I doubt if I would be able to stand up here today to tell all our friends about you.

When you meet up with the loved ones please send my regards. And before you go, I just want to tell you I love you very, very much; the home will never ever be the same again without you. I will miss you. I will miss your smiles, your kind words, and most of all your warm hugs, and all the thousands of little things that we used to do together. You will always be in my heart.

Good-bye and Love you.

21.02.2005
At Mark Carey Chapel
St Kilda / Melbourne / Victoria / Australia
2.30 pm to 3.00 pm