Reminders Of death.

This reminder came round every year,when I was young.
" Remember man that thou art dust,and into dust thou shall return".
Some years they change it, and the saying is,
"Go and sin no more." The first one used to stir me.

If ever the silver cord is loosed,and the golden bowl is broken.
Then shall the dust return to the earth,as it was,
and the spirit, shall return to God, who gave it.         The Bible.

Time and Tide, wait for no man.

A verse I love:  I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
"Give me a light, that I might travel safely into the unknown."
He replied; " Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the
hand of God. That to you shall be better than light, and safer than a known way "

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 awake in the mornings rush, 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, I did not die.

This is for my family as promised:

Weep not for me though I have gone, into the gentle night.
Grieve if you will, but not for long, upon my souls sweet flight.
I am at peace, my souls at rest, there is no need for tears.
For with your love, I was so blessed, for all these gentle years.
There is no pain I suffer, the fear now all is gone.
Put these things out of your mind, In memory I live on.
Remember not my fight for breath,remember not my strife.
Please do not dwell upon my death, but celebrate my life.
First I was a daughter,a sister a wife, aunt,mother,
mother in law,grandmother, and finally a widow.

We seem to give them back to thee oh God,
Who  gave them first to us.
Yet as you did not lose them in the giving.
So we do not lose them , in their return.
And death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing
but the limit of our sight.

Most times the parting is sudden,
They often wonder why.
The hardest part of all was,
They never said good-bye.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.

My favourite Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

When death's dark stream I ferry o'er
A time that surely shall come.
I'll ask no more of Heaven above
Than just a Highland welcome.

A lone piper to show the way, and tell me," I am going home"

The last words;  From the moment we are born,
Death is our final destination.
Only the date, and the time is unknown.