Our father was a farmer – Verse 263

Our father was a farmer,
His heart was in the soil
It’s there he found his solace,
Among the grimy toil.
He planted the seed in springtime,
The spuds, the beans, the hay,
He prayed that God would bless them,
A harvest, Lord, he prayed.
He tilled and cultivated them,
Provided the most tender care,
Believed that come October,
He’d reap a harvest fair.
Blue skies were his cathedral,
A tractor, his altar of prayer,
God met him in the hayfields,
They had communion there.
Our father was a farmer
That’s all he ever was.
The values that the land taught him,
He handed down to us.
We loved our farmer father -
We’re thankful, he was ours,
We pray that God will bless him,
Today and for all time.

One At Rest – Verse 266

Think of me as one at rest, for me you should not weep.
I have no pain, no troubled thoughts for I am just asleep.
The living, thinking me that was, is now forever still
And life goes on without me now, as time forever will.

If you heart is heavy now because I’ve gone away,
Dwell not long upon it, friend, for none of us can stay.
Those of you who liked me, I sincerely thank you all
And those of you who loved me, I thank you most of all.

And in my fleeting lifespan, as time went rushing by
I found some time to hesitate, to laugh, to love, to cry.
Matters it now if time began if time will ever cease?
I was here, I used it all and now I am at peace.  

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes – Verse 268

O Holy Virgin,
in the midst of your days of glory,
do not forget the sorrows
of this earth.
Cast a merciful glance upon
those who are suffering,
struggling against difficulties,
with their lips constantly pressed
against life’s bitter cup.
Have pity on those who love
each other and are separated.
Have pity on our rebellious hearts.
Have pity on our weak faith.
Have pity on those who weep,
on those who pray, on those who fear.
Grant hope and peace to all.

A Little Step Away – Verse 188

A Little Step Away
To close the eye, to fall asleep,
to draw a labored breath,
to find release from daily cares
in what we know as death–
Is this the crowning of life,
the aim or end thereof?
The totaled sum of consciousness,
the ripened fruit of love?
It cannot be, for works of God
are wrought for nobler ends,
and those away continue on
in the hearts of kin and friends.
It cannot be, for they live on
a little step away, the soul,
the everlasting life,
has found a better day.

Remember Me – Anon – Verse 267

To the living, I am gone.
To the sorrowful, I will never return.
To the angry, I was cheated,
But to the happy, I am at peace,
And to the faithful, I have never left.
I cannot speak, but I can listen,
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.
So as you stand upon the shore,
Gazing at a beautiful sea, remember me.
As you look in awe at a mighty forest
And its grand majesty, remember me
Remember me in your hearts,
In your thoughts, and the memories of
The times we loved, the times we cried,
The battles we fought and the times we laughed
For if you always think of me,
I will have never gone.

Anon

Take Flight – Verse 270

Take flight, dear Giant,
Over rocks poisoned with sea,
Through sand hardened with hail,
Leave your worries with me.

Your brothers and sisters too old,
To have conquered such a gale,
Overcome the roaring rain,
And the winds that wail.

They say your ship had sank,
And we cried out your name,
For a glimpse of a fading face,
And a voice that sounds the same.

Pauric Keenan

Perhaps you sent a lovely card – Verse 242

Perhaps you sent a lovely card,
Or sat quietly in a chair.
Perhaps you sent a funeral spray,
If so we saw it there.
Perhaps you spoke the kindest words,
As any friend could say;
Perhaps you were not there at all,
Just thought of us that day.
Whatever you did to console our hearts,
We thank you,
So very much whatever the part.

Boxers Prayer – Verse 228

I ask you not for victory...
for somehow, that seems wrong,
but only for protection,
and the courage to be strong.
 
Strength not to conquer
but just that I'll fight well
and prove myself a sportsman
at the final bell.
 
And if by chance, he floors me
and the canvas I should meet
like Simon of Cyrene
Please help me to my feet.
 
Please help me to go the distance,
through rounds with danger rife,
not only in the boxing ring,
but in the larger ring of life.

Timothy – Verse 229

I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

We miss your smile – Verse 236

We miss your smile, your joking ways,
We miss the things you used to say.
And when old times we do recall,
It’s then we miss you most of all.

Heartstrings – Verse 223

When those we love go away, they never really leave us; they are with us now, wherever we are. Those whom we have cherished, live on forever, for love wraps itself around the heart. Although it’s difficult now, someday beyond our tears and all the world’s wrongs; beyond the clouds and all that we can see and touch, we shall all understand.

Mother Dear – Verse 224

Beautiful things in this life
are manifold tis true,
we count the stars by thousands,
the birds and flowers, too;
The sunsets and dawnings,
rare beauties far and near,
but all the wide world over,
there’s just one “Mother Dear.”