Author: Jan

Another Leaf Has Fallen

Another leaf has fallen,
another soul has gone.
But still we have God’s promises,
in every robin’s song.

For he is in His heaven,

and though He takes away,
He always leaves to mortals,
the bright sun’s kindly ray.

He leaves the fragrant blossoms,
and lovely forest, green.
And gives us new found comfort,
when we on Him will lean.

Unknown

Life

Life is just a stepping-stone
A pause before we make it home
A simple place to rest and be,
Until we reach eternity.
Everyone has a life journey,
A path to take with lots to see
God guides our steps along the way,
But we were never meant to stay.

Our final destination is a place
Filled with love, His majesty and grace.
Today we celebrate the life of a loved one
Who has gone before us, the race he has won.
His journey has now ended,
His spirit has ascended
Claiming the great reward
With Jesus, our Lord.

Prayers for Special Help

A Place Called Heaven

I have a place that waits for me
A place I love, called Calvary
Where angels sing and rejoice all day
And children laugh, run and play.

Here the Masters holds my hand
As we walk through Heavens land.
This is the place Ive dreamed of for so long
So beautiful, so heavenly like the angels song.

Prayers for Special Help

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me

When tomorrow starts without me
And I’m not there to see;
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me.

I wish so much you wouldn’t cry
The way you did today;
While thinking of the many things
We didn’t get to say.

I know how much you love me
As much as I love you;
And each time that you think of me,
I know you’ll miss me too.

But when tomorrow starts without me
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name
And took me by the hand.

She said my place was ready
In heaven far above;
And that I’d have to leave behind,
All those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye;
For all my life, I’d always thought
I didn’t want to die.

I had so much to live for,
So much yet to do;
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad;
I thought of all the love we shared,
And all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday
Just even for awhile,
I’d say goodbye and kiss you
And maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized
That this could never be;
For emptiness and memories
Would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things
I might miss come tomorrow;
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through heaven’s gates
I felt so much at home;
When God looked down and smiled at me
From His great golden throne.

He said, “This is eternity
And all I’ve promised you;
Today your life on earth is past,
But here it all starts anew.”

“I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last;
And since each day’s the same day,
There’s no longing for the past.”

“But you have been so faithful,
So trusting and so true;
Though at times you did do things,
You knew you shouldn’t do.”

“But you have been forgiven
And now at last you’re free;
So won’t you take my hand
And share my life with me?”

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don’t think we’re far apart
For every time you think of me,
I’m right here in your heart.

David Romano

Death Be Not Proud (Holy Sonnet X)

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

Thou’art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy’or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

John Donne

The Blessing of St. Francis of Assisi

The Lord bless you
and keep you.
May He show His face
to you and have mercy.
May He turn His countenance
to you and give you peace.
The Lord bless you!

Dont Weep For Me

Dont weep for me
For Ive made it home
Through Heavens gates
There I may roam.

Wipe your tears
And dry your eyes
Im in a better place
With Heaven as my prize.

Dont weep for me
No tears and no sorrow
Live life for Jesus
He promises tomorrow.

Prayers for Special Help

Hero

A man of integrity, courage and love
The life of an American Hero
Now resides up above

He lived to protect
And served with compassion
Years of fighting
To his death, was his passion.

One day we will see him again
Unknowing of that day,
Only God knows when.

Prayers for Special Help

A Child’s Funeral Poem

He passed away so innocent and true
So brief was his time, we hardly knew.
A baby so sweet with a precious smile
The time we had with him was so worthwhile.

An early arrival in Heaven that day
Met by the angels in all their array
A comforting thought as they welcomed him there
So much to see and so much to share.

Prayers for Special Help

Love And Go On

You can shed tears that she is gone
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that shell come back
or you can open your eyes and see all shes left.
Your heart can be empty because you cant see her
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that shes gone
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back
or you can do what shed want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

David Harkins

Resurrection

Long, long, long ago;
Way before this winters snow
First fell upon these weathered fields;
I used to sit and watch and feel
And dream of how the spring would be,
When through the winters stormy sea
Shed raise her green and growing head,
Her warmth would resurrect the dead.

Long before this winters snow
I dreamt of this days sunny glow
And thought somehow my pain would pass
With winters pain, and peace like grass
Would simply grow. (But) The pains not gone.
Its still as cold and hard and long
As lonely pain has ever been,
It cuts so deep and fear within.

Long before this winters snow
I ran from pain, looked high and low
For some fast way to get around
Its hurt and cold. Id have found,
If I had looked at what was there,
That things dont follow fast or fair.
That life goes on, and times do change,
And grass does grow despite lifes pains.

Long before this winters snow
I thought that this days sunny glow,
The smiling children and growing things
And flowers bright were brought by spring.
Now, I know the sun does shine,
That children smile, and from the dark, cold, grime
A flower comes. It groans, yet sings,
And through its pain, its peace begins.

Mary Ann Bernard

Memorare

Remember, O most gracious
Virgin Mary, that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thine
intercession was left unaided. Inspired
by this confidence, I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to
thee do I come, before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of
the Word Incarnate, despise not my
petitions, but in thy mercy hear
and answer me.
Amen.

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 that 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!

Edgar A Guest

Love Lives On

Those we love remain with us
for love itself lives on,
and cherished memories never fade
because a loved one’s gone.
Those we love can never be
more than a thought apart,
far as long as there is memory,
they’ll live on in the heart.

In Pastures Green

In pastures green? Not always; sometimes He
Who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me
In weary ways, where heavy shadows be.
And by still waters? No, not always so;
Oftimes the heavy tempests round me blow,
And oer my soul the waves and billows go.
But when the storms beat loudest, and I cry
Aloud for help, the Master standeth by,
And whispers to my soul, Lo, it is I.
So where He leads me I can safely go,
And in the blest hereafter I shall know
Why in His wisdom He hath led me so.

by H. H. Barry

Saying Goodbye

As this day of sorrow comes,
tears in our eyes, loneliness in our hearts,
we say goodbye.
Thank You for sharing your life with us,
without you, we will not know
the love of God for us.
For you are a blessing in our eyes.
We thank the Lord for sharing you with us.
He has given us a great gift that we will never forget.
Even as the sun sets and the rain falls down.
God is indeed amazing, for knowing who we need.

Grace Noll Crowell

Two Lives Become One

As two lives become one
May the Father above
Bless our hearts and our home
With an abundance of love.

As two lives become one
And we pledge to each other
Our hearts intertwined
Professing love for one another.

As two lives become one
Let no one come between
And may God richly bless
A future, He has already seen.

I do

The moment I set my eyes on you,

I knew God answered my prayers.
And when you said “I do”,
I know God made me to love you.

Sacred Matrimony

A hundred brides walk the aisle everyday,
and look at their grooms with either joy or dismay.
What is life in store for me?
Will I be happy? Will I be glee?

Only one thing be in mind.
God gave the husbands to love their wives.
God gave the wives to love their husbands.
A happy ending is all that should ever be
during this most sacred matrimony.

M.S. Lowndes

How little we know in our growing years?

Protected by our loved ones from woes and fears.

We continue to grow from our past.
Searching for a new love one that will last.

Accentuated by our social being to find one with to share.
We take our wedding vows to show the world we care.
A family is next to sustain our marriage and fortify our love.
To succeed this human experience needs to be blessed from above.

We think back how easy it was to say, ‘I do’
But it was your conviction, good foundation and character that seen you through.
Each years number large or small celebrate your anniversary none the less.
For the greater the number the greater the the success.

Theodore Colterelli

Our Wedding Day

On this our wedding day,
We are uniting to become one.
The journey of a lifetime
Has only just begun.

With family and friends present
We vow to live by faith,
And trust in God’s provision
With every step we take

For only by His goodness
Can we selflessly show our love
Striving to live exemplary lives
To point to the Father above.

A Godly Marriage

Bridesmaids and groomsmen, plans coming together
As we prepare to begin our forever.

The flowers, the dress, tuxedos and rings,
All the excitement a wedding day begins.

As God is our witness may our union reflect
The beauty of a marriage that only God can direct.

United Hearts

God has brought you here together
To be united in His love,
Joined in Holy Matrimony
With faith in God above

Let your faith guide your lives
With a measure of God’s grace,
For this is what keeps love strong
Through whatever you may face

Keep building your marriage on
The foundation of Christ,
It will not crumble or give way
Through the daily pressures of life

But it will stand the test of time,
Growing stronger day by day
Just keep your hearts truly united,
Joined as one when you pray

The cord that binds your hearts
Will not fray, or break in two
When you build your lives on God,
He will walk with you.

M.S. Lowndes

Mother of the Bride Poem

My sweet little girl
All grown up and polished
The years have flown by
Look what you have accomplished

My sweet little girl
What a blessing you are,
As youre betrothed to your husband
May your love take you far.

My sweet little girl
Becoming one with another
May God bless you and keep you
Love always, your Mother.

For Better or For Worst

Dear God,
bless this marriage with love.
The kind of love that is unbreakable
and gives no condition.

Give this marriage a chance
to outlive even the longest of lives.
Give the lovely couple to share
their lives and love with one another.

Teach them to stick to one another
even when the going is tough.
Let their love be stronger
and be with one another
for better or for worst.

Poem by a 12th Century Nobleman

True Love is a sacred flame that burns eternally.
And none can dim its special glow or change its destiny.
True Love speaks in tender tones and hears with gentle ear.
True Love gives with open heart and True Love conquers fear.

True Love makes no harsh demands. It neither rules nor binds.
True Love holds with gentle hands the hearts that it entwines.

You dont marry the person you can live with,
you marry the person you can’t live without .

The Art of a Good Marriage

“The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.

“It is never taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through all the years.

“It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

“It is doing things for each other,
not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in the spirit of joy.

“It is speaking words of appreciation
and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo
or the wife to have wings of an angel.

“It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience,
understanding and a sense of humor.

“It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

“It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal,
dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner,
it is being the right partner.”

Wilferd Arlan Peterson

Bridal Song

Comforts lasting, loves increasing,
Like soft hours never ceasing:
Plenty’s pleasure, peace complying,
Without jars, or tongues envying;

Hearts by holy union wedded,
More than theirs by custom bedded;
Fruitful issues; life so graced,
Not by age to be defaced,

Budding, as the year ensu’th,
Every spring another youth:
All what thought can add beside
Crown this bridegroom and this bride!

John Ford

Two Loves

Two loves came up a long, wide aisle,
And knelt at a low, white gate;
One tender and true, with a shyest smile,
One strong, true and elate.

Two lips spoke in a firm true way,
And two lips answered soft and low;
In one true hand such a little hand lay
Fluttering, frail as a flake of snow.

One stately head bent humble there,
Stilled were the throbbings of human love;
One head drooped down like a lily fair,

Two prayers went, wing to wing, above.
God blest them both in the holy place,
Long brief moment till the rite was done;
On the human love fell a heavenly grace,
Making two hearts forever one.

Between two lengthening rows of smiles,
One sweetly shy, one proud, elate,
Two loves passed down the long wide aisle
Will they ever forget the low white gate?

Father Abram J. Ryan

In this Union

Give this union a real form of love,
that no one can break and will never do.
Give this union joy so they may not find
it other worldly pleasures.
Give this union all that they need
so they may not seek what is not necessary.

In this union, may there be unconditional love
like You have shown us.
In this union, may there be friendship
even after a day of camaraderie.
In this union, may everything be treated with fairness
in this world of judgement.

Wedding Day Poem

Yes, I am enchanted with you,
My new wonderful mate of mine,
You are my enchantment rose
To bond and hold with love.

Where “L” in love stands for laughter
Where “O” in love stands for obedience
Where “V” in love stands for victory after
And “E” in love stands for enchantment.

This day with you, we do cast
A new family, we do plant
In the parents network of our past
We grow generations to implant.

Yes, I am enchanted with you
And promise with God’s help
To love and serve you always
All the many years left to us.

We both have one great friend,
It is Jesus our lord and guide,
Let us agree to always turn to him
Each day, for steady guidance and help.

Yes, I am enchanted with you,
My new wonderful mate of mine,
You are my enchantment rose
To bond and hold with love.

Henry E. Henrich

Loving Each Other

The Lord taught us to love our neighbours.
He said to love even those who have hurt us.
Today, I profess to the world how much
I love this man with all my heart.

Bless this union, dear God,
that we only show kindness and purity
to one another. Give us the strength
to never let anyone down.
Loving each other is the best kind of love
especially since You are in the center of us.

God’s Gift of True Love

Many people search for love high and low
Some people find it in first sight.
But I believe that God has a plan
and that includes you for true love.

Bless the Father’s name for showing the way
to you and share a life that I’ve never imagined.
His name deserves all the glory
for the greatness He has showed me.