Winter
Winter, the season of dying down and resting. A time of endings, peace and preparing for new pathways. This section is given to death. Poems can be used in commemoration services for the dead or be given to individuals affected by the death of a loved one or family member. The deaths of babies and children are also included in this section.
Poems may be copied but please ensure that Lorna Beedham is acknowledged as the author.
They say you don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone or taken away
And that’s certainly been true as I’ve thought of you over these past days.
I’m sorry to say I didn’t value you as I should or as much as you truly deserved,
But now in my mind, and always, your qualities will be treasured and preserved.
I’ll not forget our journey, the valleys and steep paths we climbed this life together,
The storms, the sunshine, the rain, the drought and life’s other forms of weather.
So, as through life, I continue without you, my way to wend,
I count it an honour, privilege and blessing to have been allowed to call you friend.
Don't question, ‘ For what reason?’ as it is not our place to know.
Don't think, 'How could God?' because throughout, to me, His love He's always shown.
Don't ask, 'Why so much pain?' because when at heaven's door it will all be forgot.
And don't wonder, 'Why me?' because my response is 'Why not?'
I thank you for coming and sharing this day,
When you think of my life and my passing away,
I thank you that in life you all held me dear,
And now in death, even though painful, be assured I am near.
I am in every memory, every thought, every word that you share,
In every laugh, tear and sigh, a part of me is there.
I am still with you and will remain deep in your heart
For while there is love nothing can keep us apart.
Life is a winding pathway from the beginning to its end
One that you can choose to walk alone or with loved ones and friends.
For me, only one choice, that of with others sharing the amazing view
As through valley and over mountain to my pathway I stayed true.
Even when the walk was hard and I felt I’d had my fill
I asked family and friends to walk with me – and they said they will.
She who gave you life has now given up her own
And walked on ahead to her heavenly home,
She completed the path for her life that by God had been set
And found all her goals successfully met.
Do not try to question why for that no answers will bring
But rather celebrate the love and joy for a moment that (s)he did bring,
Those moments precious as in your hands (s)he sweetly lay,
Each amazing second of those few special days.
A moment in time has come when your absence is felt within
As each one of us senses the silence and tries to take it in.
No more memories to make but lots of them to keep
As for the last time you laid down your head and gently went to sleep.
God the Father alone knows what you’re going through
Far more than friends or family can ever truly do
He alone knows the reasons why
Beautiful little (name) had to die.
Although I am no longer here for you to see
Nor my hands to touch or lips to kiss
Nor my eyes to reflect your own love for me
Look for me and I will be there
I know the pain and anguish you hold in your heart
The questions and deep grief that add their dark part
The agony of losing him before he was yours
And feeling like you face a cold, hard, closed door.
She might not be there holding your hand
Or wiping away the tears you cry,
She may not be there to share your deepest secrets
Or be able to answer the big question ‘why?’
She may not be there when you want that word of wisdom
To tell you the way that you should go,
But she will always be in your heart wherever you are
Telling you all that you really need to know.
Now there is silence where once laughter rang out
And where once was certainty there now seems a cloud of doubt
That unanswerable question of where do you go from here
When you’ve lost the one you held so precious and dear.
To my friend in this your darkest of days
When there is very little of comfort any can say
Just a thought, you are not alone in the deep of the night
When fear and despair hide any glimmer of light.
For God sees your heart and its every need
And shares in the sorrow that causes it to bleed.
I will laugh and smile again but not just yet,
It is too early to go on whilst my cheeks are still wet,
I’ll sit here awhile with my memories so I do not forget
Just how much my dreams in you were met.
It's over, it's ended, the pain has now gone,
You've crossed over to the other side where the battle is done
No more sleepless nights and days racked with pain
But rather peaceful moments are yours to be eternally gained.
No-one told me how heart breaking this would be
How hard to take one breath at a time could be for me,
Just how big the hole left is, a ravine the size of the Grand Canyon
And a darkness impenetrable to infinity and beyond,
A loneliness to engulf the world several times over
A wordless silence does my every moment cover,
As the realisation hits that our worlds no longer combine
And what I once thought was ours is now only mine.
My final act of love to you is the imaginary wreath that on your grave I lay
Flowers selected because of their meaning and what of our love they say
For words to me are not easy but instead perfume and colour I will let speak
As their scent to heaven rises and I your indulgence seek.