Reading for My Brothers Funeral

[bucksmum]

My lovely brother died on Sunday and I am going to read a poem at the funeral on Monday does anyone have any sugestions of readings that woudl suit a younger persons service, he was only 34 he had been ill for 9 years but still a shock when it happens

Thanks for all the sugestions a friend has just sent me this that I think I will read if I can although everytime I read it at the moment I keep crying!

God looked around his garden
And found an empty place;
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest;
God's garden must be beautiful
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering,
He knew you were in pain,
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the roads were getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb;
So he closed your weary eyelids
And whispered "peace be thine."
It broke our hearts to lose you,
But you didn't go alone,
For part of us went with you
The day god called you home.

good luck,really hope it all goes well - we'll be thinking of you...it's a lovely thing you're doing...

Bucksmum - hope I'm not too late - this was read at a funeral I attended last week and I thought it was wonderful:

A man is a success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much,
who has gained the respect of intelligent men, and the love of children,
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task,
who leaves the world better than he found it,
who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.

His memory is a benediction"

bucksmum,thinking of you today

Bucksmum - thinking of you also today, hope it goes well and you find the strength for the reading. x

Thank you the service went really well over 200 people were there, the music was perfect and I just about held it together for the service. To be honest I am finding it more difficult now, probably because I have no jobs to do! I'm fine when with other people went back to work today and that was ok. Just find the times when I'm on my own the worst

well done bucksmum...you were brave. hugs to you

Bucksmum - glad the service went well. Completely understand about it feeling worse now - the hardest thing for me when my brother died was the 'getting back to normal' stuff when inside I was in bits. Look after yourself, hope you have lots of people around you who can talk to and cry when you need to. I'm not going to say it gets easier - because it doesn't really - it just gets different over time. lots of love x

Hiya bucksmum,

I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss, and how proud you should be of yourself for doing what you did. I spoke at my brother's funeral last year and it really helped me to know that I had done my best for him. Not just on the day, but in all the hideous days afterwards. It was the last thing I could do as a loving sister, and when things are particularly bad it is something I cling onto.

I really hope you are being kind to yourself now and that people are still there for you. Like pushki, I won't say things will get better, because they don't. But I do believe that eventually we will all feel the hurt less sharply.

Wishing you warmth until that day comes xx