We Remember Them

In the rising of the sun and in its going down,

we remember them.

In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,

we remember them.

In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring,

we remember them.

In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,

we remember them.

In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,

we remember them.

In the beginning of the year and when it ends,

we remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength,

we remember them.

When we are lost and sick at heart,

we remember them.

When we have joys we yearn to share,

we remember them.

So long as we live, they too shall live,

for they are now a part of us, as

we remember them.

(Jewish Prayer)
__________________

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

By Laurence Binyon 1914

David

All I can say is WOWand thanks...Alffe and David!!!

bump....for Nikki and BJ

Thanks ((Alffe)) I have seen this many times, it is so beautiful

Thanks Alffe It sounded familiar and I couldn't remember where I saw it. I like that song at the end but it was going too fast and I didn't get the name of it

((BJ)) That song! I listen to it all the time.
It is .....Learning how to live (without you in my life)
By Lucinda Williams

....thought I might poke this in here....the thought has been on my mind for a while. I had thought about starting a new thread, but this one is already here, and is so appropriate. I thought it might be nice to have a place where you could express what you have done, will do, or, are doing, to help you express the love for your loved one. Like putting a special ornament on your tree, setting a place at the table, saying a special prayer, etc. etc. Maybe it will help you and others as well. Just an idea. I have not lost someone to suicide, but I have lost......what I have done:

Made a special ornament with my dad's picture on it. It is a picture of me and him at Christmas. I hang it on the tree every year (Christmas tree) .... It was hard to do. I cried when I made it, but I love to remember how he loved Christmas, and how we shared our love for the Christmas tree, and each other........

someone else's turn now........

Grief is one of the most difficult things I have ever faced in life. The holidays are always a tough time for me. The holidays are looming like the crest of a huge ocean wave. How do you walk that perilous shoreline of grief while everyone around you seems to have an intact family, with everyone alive and happy? And it gets compounded every time you turn on the TV or open a magazine, and see all those other complete family units in high definition joy, underlining over and over exactly what you are missing.

My Mom and I were very close. It was a hard-won closeness after what happened to Mark, so we appreciated it a great deal. Christmas was HER time of year. It was magical for her, and she spent most of the rest of the year planning for it, and deciding how best to keep the family traditions of our family. To see her at Christmas was to see pure joy in action. So, the first Christmas without her was awful. It hurt like heck and still does.

My grief counselor told me to do what brings genuine comfort, even if it seems odd. My mother’s love for Christmas has me bringing a decorated tiny Christmas tree to her grave. I set it up with stones so it doesn’t blow down. Mom loved Christmas so much that she must be delighted that I do this. I put ribbons, bows and flower’s on my dad’s and Mark’s grave. I always do something in the NY Yankee theme for Mark. This year I’m putting up a banner that shows the last game played in Yankee Stadium.

Our tradition was to set an extra chair on Christmas Eve for "the uninvited guest". My mom always said that Christ walks the streets in the guise of a stranger that night, so if he comes to your door, he should see a place already set. We used to always set that up next to Mom, joking that she would be the most enthusiastic companion. The year she passed away, I set up two empty chairs -- one for the guest, one for her.

Your loved ones would not want you to tear apart your life. Life and traditions go on. They may have died, but your love and their love stay around forever.

Whether your faith is traditional or not, somewhere it contains something for you to lean on, if only the belief that you are not alone. For me, it is important to focus on the fact as expressed in my faith, that my Mom may be gone from this plane, but that she has gone on to life beyond it, and that someday we’ll be together again. It doesn’t make my pain go away, but it reminds me that what we say is "dead" is not lost forever.

The most important thing between you and your loved one was -- love. And no one can ever take that from you. All the love that was expressed is yours to keep forever. Love is stronger than death.

....thank you for sharing that BJ...I loved reading it, and it really touched my heart....I couldn't even write yesterday....