Opening Words:
Let us be honest with
death. Let us not pretend that it is
less than it is. It is separation.
It is sorrow. It is grief. But let
us neither pretend that death is
more than it is. It is not
annihilation. As long as memory
endures, ____’s influence will be
felt.. It is not an end to
love—humanity’s need for love from
each of us is boundless. It is not
an end to joy and laughter—nothing
would less honor a soul than to make
our lives drab in counterfeit
respect. Let us be honest with
death, for in that honesty we will
understand him better and ourselves
more deeply.
Candle Lighting:
Though our spirit be
but the feeble glow of a single
flame, for the one who keeps it
burning bravely to the end, death is
not defeat. We light our candle
today to honor the life and living
of ____.
Reading:
As he was
particularly drawn to the ocean and
loved sailing this poem from Henry
Van Dyke is recited in ____’s honor.
Gone From My Sight
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
I stand and watch her
until at length
she hangs like a
speck of white cloud
just where the sea
and sky come
to mingle with each
other
Then someone at my
side says;
"There, she is 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 she is just as
able to bear her
load of living
freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size
is in me, not in her.
And just at the
moment when someone
at my side says,
"There, she is gone!"
There are other eyes
watching her coming,
and other voices
ready to take up the glad
shout, "Here she
comes!"
And that is dying.
Address:
We have gathered here
to acknowledge the passing of ___,
who was known and well-loved. When
someone we cherish dies, family and
friends gather with sorrow in their
hearts. At times when we must face
death and loss, we need one
another’s company for understanding
and support. Just to be together, to
look into one another’s faces, takes
away some of our loneliness and
draws our hearts together in the
healing we can offer one another. At
such times, the various faiths that
sustain us separately come together
in a harmony that acts across all
creeds and assures us of the
permanence for human goodness and
hope.
So we have gathered
here this evening in grief and
sorrow, but we have also gathered to
celebrate a life. We have come
together to give thanks that we knew
him, to express our gratitude for
the days and years we were able to
share with him. We are here to
remember and memorialize a man who
knew the pleasure of hard work and
felt most at home in a natural
environment.
By remembering the
best of this person, by recalling
our fondest memories, by honoring
the principles, values and dreams
which guided his life, some of
____’s enduring qualities flow into
us, that we ourselves might
experience his guidance in the days
ahead.
Sharing from
Family and Friends:
We are
here for all these things. But our
first spiritual task is to face,
full and unafraid, the reality of
this death. We best do that by
sharing with one another. I invite
you at this time to share your
thoughts about ____ this evening.
<Personal
Remembrances>
Reading:
In keeping with ___’s
appreciation for nature I thought
perhaps this perspective on death
might be fitting.
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
glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on
ripened grain.
I am the gentle
autumn rain.
When you awaken in
the morning's hush
I am the swift
uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in
circled flight.
I am the soft stars
that shine at night.
Do not stand at my
grave and cry;
I am not there, look
to the sky.
Closing Words:
Leaves should not
fall in early summer. Winter should
not follow on the heels of spring.
Yet when they do, we can and must
speak for life. For there is no
answer to death but to live
vigorously and beautifully. We give
respect and dignity to the one we
mourn only when we respect and
dignify life and move toward its
richest fulfillment.
Let us honor the life
of ____ by living, ourselves, more
nobly and lovingly in the days
ahead. As you return to the routines
of your lives, go in great peace,
dear friends, and may an abiding
peace go with you.
Other Rites
