In Memory of Justin

The written verse is a very powerful tool to express the otherwise inexpressible thoughts of grief.

Below are some poems that we found helpful.


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"A GIFT FROM GOD"

" I lend you for a little time, a child of mine", He said.

For you to love, the time he lives, and mourn for, when he's dead.

It may be, for six or seven years, or twenty-two or three,

But will you, till I call him back, take care of him for me?

He will bring his charms, to gladden you, and should his stay be brief,

You'll have his lovely memories as solace for your grief.

I can not promise he will stay, since all from earth return.

But there are lessons taught down there, I want this child to learn.

I've looked the wide world over, in my search for teachers true, and

from the throngs that crowd life's lanes, I have selected you.

Now will you give him all your love nor think the labor vain,

Nor hate Me when I come to call, to take him back again?

I fancied that I heard them say, "Dear Lord, thy will be done".

For all the joy thy child will bring, the risk of grief will run.

We'll shelter him with tenderness, we'll love him while we may,

and for the happiness, we've known, forever grateful stay,

But should the angels call him, much sooner than we've planned,

We'll brave the bitter grief, that comes and try to understand.

By Edgar Guest


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A Love Song

The mention of my child's name may bring tears to my eyes,
But it never fails to bring music to my ears.

If you really are my friend,
Please, don't keep me from hearing the beautiful music.
It soothes my broken heart,
And fills my soul with love.

Nancy Williams

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The Rose Beyond the Wall

A rose once grew where all could see,
sheltered beside a garden wall,
And as the days passed swiftly by,
it spread its branches, straight and tall.

One day, a beam of light shone through
a crevice that had opened wide.
The rose bent gently toward its warmth
then passed beyond to the other side.

Now, you who deeply feel its loss,
be comforted, the rose blooms there.
Its beauty even greater now,
nurtured by God's own loving care.

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IF
If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord,
your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice
lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare a minute or two,
To stop and say "I love you",instead of assuming that you knew.
If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well, I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one day, slip away.
For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance to make everything right.
There will always be another day to say our "I love you's".
And certainly there's another chance to say
our "Anything I can do's?"
But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young and old alike.
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day,
that you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss.
And you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear.
Take time to say "I'm sorry", "please forgive me",
"thank you", "it's okay" or"I love you".
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.
~Author Unknown~

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"All Is Well"

Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you:
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name,
speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone,
wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect,
without a trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was;
there is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near.
Just around the corner.
All is well.

Henry Scott Holland
(1847 - 1918)


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How Long Will The Pain Last?

Author Unknown


How long will the pain last?" a broken hearted mourner asked me. "All the rest of your Life." I have to answer truthfully. We never quite forget. No matter how many years pass, we remember. The loss of a loved one is like a major operation. Part of us is removed, and we have a scar for the rest of our lives. As years go by, we manage. There are things to do, people to care for, tasks that call for full attention. But the pain is still there, not far below the surface. We see a face that looks familiar, hear a voice that echoes, see a photograph in someone's album, see a landscape that once we saw together, and it seems as though a knife were in the wound again. But not so painfully. And mixed with joy, too. Because remembering a happy time is not all sorrow, it brings back happiness with it.

How long will the pain last?
All the rest of your life. But the things to remember is that not only the pain will last, but the blessed memories as well. Tears are proof of life. The more love, the more tears. If this be true, then how could we ever ask that the pain cease altogether. For then the memory of love would go with it. The pain of grief is the price we pay for love.