A collection of poems useful when planning a funeral or memorial. My sincere sympathy for your loss. (If you are specifically looking for poems on the loss of a child, click here.) Afterglowby Helen Lowrie MarshallI’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life…… Continue reading Funeral and Memorial Poems
Author: Sheila Burke
Sheila Burke is an End-of-Life Doula and Founder of the Being Better Humans online community. A published author, Sheila's most recent book, Bullshit To Butterflies, is a memoir about her husband Shane's journey with cancer.
Funeral and Memorial Poems-Children
Here are a few poems geared toward the loss of a child. If you are here because you or someone you know has lost a child, please accept my deepest condolences. The mention of my child’s nameMay bring tears to my eyes,But it never fails to bringMusic to my ears.Let me hear the beautifulmusic of…… Continue reading Funeral and Memorial Poems-Children
I Hope You Dance
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be the last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead, I put the car in park and walked up to the door, and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered…… Continue reading I Hope You Dance
Traditional Burial Customs that Might be Shocking
For the most part, we have been accustomed to two different ways of saying our final goodbyes to our loved ones: burial and cremation. You might be surprised and sometimes a little shocked to learn how different cultures carry out funerals. Have a traditional funeral or be consumed by vultures? What about your family digging…… Continue reading Traditional Burial Customs that Might be Shocking
No One Dies Alone: A Beautiful End of Life Program
NODA – “No One Dies Alone” is a program founded in 2001 by Sandra Clarke, an intensive care nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Oregon. She noticed there was no continuous support system in place for terminal patients without family or friends.Patients near death are paired with compassionate care volunteers who sit with…… Continue reading No One Dies Alone: A Beautiful End of Life Program
Keep the Fork
There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things ‘in order,’ she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.She told him which songs she wanted…… Continue reading Keep the Fork
Why Poppies are a Symbol of Remembrance
National Poppy Day in the U.S. is the Friday before Memorial Day. Many will see veterans selling poppies over this Memorial Day weekend. We buy them in memory of the fallen and respect for the service given. There’s a beautiful story behind them. Image by Albrecht Fietz The American Legion Family recognizes the importance of…… Continue reading Why Poppies are a Symbol of Remembrance
Why We Leave Coins on Graves
Did you ever visit a cemetery and see coins on the tombstones? There are a couple of reasons for that. And maybe next time you visit a loved one in the cemetery you’ll come with a pocketful of coins and visit others there too. A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldier’s family…… Continue reading Why We Leave Coins on Graves
Kafka, the Lost Doll, and the Lesson
Germany 1923. At the age of 40, writer Franz Kafka, who never married and had no children, walked through the park in Berlin as he had often done. One day he met a little girl who was crying. She had lost her favorite doll. She and Kafka searched for the doll unsuccessfully. Kafka told her…… Continue reading Kafka, the Lost Doll, and the Lesson