A PARTING PRAYER
 
Dear Lord, please open your gates and call St. Francis,
To come escort this beloved companion across The Rainbow Bridge.
 
Assign her to a place of honor, for she has been a faithful friend,
And has always done her best to please me.
 
Bless the hands that send her to you, for they are doing so in love
and compassion, freeing her from pain and suffering.
 
Grant me the strength not to dwell on my loss. Help me remember
the details of her life with the love she has shown me. And, grant
me the courage to honor her by sharing those memories with others.
 
Let her remember as well and let her know that i will always love her.
 
And when it is time to pass over into your paradise, please allow
her to accompany those who will bring me home.
 
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of her companionship and for the time
we've had together.
 
And, thank you, Lord, for granting me the strength to give her to
you now.

THE EULOGY
 
Look not where I was, For I am not there,
My spirit is free, I am everywhere.
 
In the air that you breath, In the sounds that you hear,
Don't cry for me, Mom, My spirit is near.
 
I'll watch for you, From the other side.
I'll be the one running, New friends by my side.
 
Smile at my memory, Remember in your heart.
This isn't the end, It's a brand new start.
 
Carol Kufner

I AM NOT THERE

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's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
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.

Mary Frye