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Poems for a time of loss & Healing Songs
WE REMEMBER THEM
TO THOSE I LOVE
MY BELOVED
DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP
RUN FREE WITH THE ANGELS
WE THOUGHT OF YOU WITH LOVE TODAY
WHEN ALL THAT'S LEFT IS LOVE
GOD GIVES, GOD TAKES
Healing Songs by Cantor Stephanie Shore
Mi Shebeirach, by Debbie Friedman
WE REMEMBER THEM by Rabbi Jack Riemer
At the rising of the sun and at its going down
We remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and the chill of winter
We remember them.
At the opening of the buds and the rebirth of spring
We remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer
We remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn
We remember them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends
We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us,
As we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart We remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make We remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us,
As we remember them.
When I am gone, release me, let me go.
I have so many things to see and so,
You musn't tie yourself to me with tears.
Be happy that we had so many
Beautiful years (moments) shared.
I gave you my love
You can only guess how much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you each have shown.
But now it's time I travel on alone.
So grieve for me a while,
If grieve you must.
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It's only for a while that we must part,
So bless the memory within your heart.
I won't be far away,
For life goes on.
If you need me,
Call and I will come.
Though you cannot see or touch me,
I will be near.
And if you listen with your heart,
You'll hear all my love around you.
And when you must come this way alone,
I will greet you with a smile and say "welcome home."
To this sacred place I come,
Drawn by the eternal ties that bind my soul to the soul of my beloved.
Death has parted us.
You are no longer at my side to share the beauty of life.
I cannot look to you to lighten my burdens, to lend me your strength, your wisdom or your faith.
And yet what you mean to me does not wither or fade.
For a time we touched hands and hearts,
Still your tender glance remains a joy to me.
You are part of me forever.
Something of you has become a deathless song upon my lips.
Beyond the ache that tells how much I miss you, a deeper thought compels,
We were together!
I hold you still in my mind and give thanks for our life together and our love.
The happiness that was and the memories that do not fade,
Are a gift that cannot be lost.
You continue to bless my days and years.
I will always give thanks for you.
DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP by Mary Frye
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 glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!
Go and run free with the angels
Dance around the golden clouds,
For God has chosen you to be with him
Despite our cries out loud.
Although he has taken you from us
And our pain will ever last,
Your memory never escapes us
But makes us glad for the time we had.
Your face will always be hidden
Deep inside our hearts,
Each precious moment you gave us
Shall never, ever depart.
So go and run free with the angels
As they sing so tenderly,
And please be sure to tell them
To take good care of you for me.
WE THOUGHT OF YOU WITH LOVE TODAY
We thought of you with love today
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday
And the days before that too.
We think of you in silence
We often speak your name.
Now all we have is memories
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake
With which we'll never part.
God has you in his keeping
We have you in our heart.
WHEN ALL THAT'S LEFT IS LOVE by Rabbi Allen S. Maller
When I die
If you need to weep
Cry for someone
Walking the street beside you.
You can love me most by letting
Hands touch hands, and
Souls touch souls.
You can love me most by
Sharing your Simchas (goodness) and
Multiplying your Mitzvot (acts of kindness).
You can love me most by
Letting me live in your eyes
And not on your mind.
And when you say Kaddish for me
Remember what our Torah teaches,
Love doesn’t die
People do.
So when all that’s left of me is love
Give me away.
GOD GIVES, GOD TAKES by Rabbi Allen S. Maller
God gives
opportunities for us to love
but not forever.
God takes opportunities away
after a while.
So don't hesitate or delay
or curse the darkness
while remaining mired in sadness and hopelessness,
because God gives;
and God takes away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.
But why bless the LORD when God takes away?
Because if the opportunities
were always there,
we would wait until the time was just right
and never make the leap,
and more of life would slip away.
So God gives and God takes;
Blessed be God's name