Feel free to use any of my photos in your family tree.

Lost my best friend Pat Glassburn in March of 2002. Miss him everyday.

"The Most Valuable Antique Is An Old Friend."

May the stars carry your sadness away, May the flowers fill your heart with beauty, May hope forever wipe away your tears, And, above all, may silence make you strong."
- Chief Dan George

And Jesus said~ "I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

They shall not grow 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 shall remember them. ~~ L.Binyen

I am sorry, for the loss of your person. And the million things that vanished on the day their heart stopped beating. And the billion things you must grieve, every single day that they aren't here. And I am sorry that there isn't a better word than just sorry.

I heard your voice in the wind today and I turned to see your face;
The warmth of the wind caressed me as I stood silently in place.
I felt your touch in the sun today as its warmth filled the sky;
I closed my eyes for your embrace and my spirit soared high.
I saw your eyes in the window pane as I watched the falling rain;
It seemed as each raindrop fell it quietly said your name.
I held you close in my heart today it made me feel complete;
You may have died...but you are not gone you will always be a part of me.
As long as the sun shines... the wind blows... the rain falls...
You will live on inside of me forever for that is all my heart knows.

The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS
When I say sorry for your loss it may sound perfunctory, trite even, but what I mean is I am sorry that you wake in the night gasping for breath, heart racing in agony.
I am sorry that you will know a lifetime of what ifs and could have beens.
I am sorry that you ache for one more minute with your love, knowing it can never be.
When I say sorry for your loss please know my soul is reaching out to yours in understanding and trying very hard to take away just one little ounce of your pain.

It is the light in the lantern which shows you the path, not the lantern.

"Like weary and worn out children, that sigh for the daylight's close, He knows that they oft are longing for home and it's sweet repose, So God calls them in from their labors ere the shadows around them creep, And silently watching o'er them, He giveth His loved ones sleep."

Today we recorded the graves of ancestors past. To be preserved for generations hence, A record we hope will last. Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend, For stones sometimes crumble to dust.

A very sad day on earth; a very joyous day in heaven. A beautiful friend will be missed.

You are not forgotten until there is no one left to remember.
And when there is no one left to remember, we are all together again.

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me
When tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand, That an angel came and called my name, and took me by the hand; The angel said my place was ready, In Heaven far above, And that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love. But when I walked through Heaven's Gates, I felt so much at home, for God looked down, smiled at me, And told me "Welcome Home." So when tomorrow starts without me, Don't think we're far apart, for every time you think of me, I'm right there in your heart.

The pains of death are past,
Labor and sorrow cease,
Life's long warfare closed at last,
His soul is found in peace.

They are passing away — these friends of old. Like a leaf on the current cast. With never a break in the rapid flow. We watch them as one by one; they go into dreamland of the past.

The Master's Way
Not ours to know the reason why,
unanswered is our prayer,
But ours to wait for God's own time,
to lift the cross we bear;
Not ours to know the reason why,
from loved ones we must part,
But ours to live in faith and hope,
though bleeding to the heart;
Not ours to know a crown of thorns,
sweet grace for us gain:
A cross, a bleeding heart, and crown.
What greater gifts are given?
Be still, my heart, and murmur not;
these are the Keys of Heaven.

Those that touch our lives stay in our hearts forever.

"Cherish Your Yesterday:
Dream Your Tomorrow:
But Live Your Today."

Rest in peace Dad and thank you for being a wonderful Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, and Gentleman for those of us who were fortunate to have been part of your life.

"Today recalls sad memories,
Of a loved one gone to rest;
And those who think of her today,
Are the ones who loved her best.
At night the silent stars shine down,
On a grave not far from here;
Where sleeps the one we don't forget,
And always loved so dear."

Beyond the doubts and hopes and fears,
Beyond the cares and joys and tears,
Beyond the smiling, and the weeping,
Beyond the waking and the sleeping,
Our loved one rests in slumber deep,
In silent and eternal sleep.

Love is stronger than death even though
it can't stop death from happening,
but no matter how hard death tries
it can't separate people from love.
It can't take away our memories either.
In the end, life is stronger than death.
~ unknown

Only a small fraction of me exists today. The rest of me died the day I was told you were gone.

A precious one from us is gone,
a voice we loved is stilled:
a place is vacant in our home,
which never can be filled.
God in his wisdom has recalled,
The boon his life had given.
And though the body moulders here,
The soul is safe in Heaven.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Dr. Seuss

"Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another." Ernest Hemingway

Tears water our growth. William Shakespeare

"Good men must die, but death, cannot kill their names."

"Anywhere with Jesus I can go to sleep,
When the gloomy shadows round about me creep,
Knowing I shall waken nevermore to roam;
Anywhere with Jesus will be home sweet home,"

The pains of death are passed, Labor and sorrow cease, Life's long warfare closed at last, His soul has found peace.

Our family chain is broken & nothing seems the same, but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.

"I am bound to them, though I cannot look into their eyes or hear their voices. I honor their history. I cherish their lives. I will tell their story. I will remember them." -Author unknown

God Looked
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 saw the road was 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.

You can shed tears that he is gone,
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes
and pray that he'll come back,
or you can open your eyes
and see all he has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow
and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow
because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone,
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
or you can do what he would want,
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

When the last curtain falls in those final waning hours, as I look back through the years, it's the little things I've found that really matter the most.

"These people will never be lost again"
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Tread lightly, 'tis a soldier's grave, A lonely mossy mound; And yet to hearts like mine and thine, it should be holy ground. Speak softly, let no careless laugh, nor idle thoughtless jest, escape your lips where sweetly sleeps this hero in his rest.
For him no reveille will beat, when morning beams shall come; For him, at night, no tattoo rolls Its thunders from the drum. Tread lightly! for a man bequeathed, here laid beneath this sod, His ashes to his native land, His gallant soul to God.

They shall not grow 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 shall remember them. ~~ L.Binyen

The sky had parted on a snowy winter day. One of God's angels came and took you away. Now your suffering has ended and you can Rest In Peace. We will miss you forever and keep you in our hearts.

"Rest easy, we have the watch"

Mother gone, and the world to go on as before.
Gone with a smile from the old homestead door.
Dear faithful heart to come back never more.
Home is not home, for mother is not there.
Dark is her room, empty her chair.
Now will she rest from her labor and care.
Till that morning fair.
Sleep, mother, sleep, with your hands on your breast.
Poor weary hands they needed their rest.
Well have we loved you.
But Got loved you best.
'Tis thy God giveth rest.

"It is not hard to die when you have lived – and I lived! I am happy among those who have gone before me. I am here looking down upon you and yours and those that will come in the future."

The only truly dead are those who have been forgotten.

Dreaming of the past.

Sleep on sweet child and take thy rest. God called you home. He thought it best.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/mapCems.cgi

Pride in family is pride in ordinary people
who in our hearts and minds become extraordinary.
Anonymous

Death is not extinguishing the light.
It is putting out the lamp
because the dawn has come.
Rabindranath Tagore

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

To my children; Be not sorrowful that I am gone and my earthly life is done. Be not sad I passed away, for in you my children, I live each day. There is a little of me in all of you. In each new one I live anew. So you see, I'll never be really gone, as long as there are children to carry on. I've had my share of love, sorrow and strife. I have lived a full and fruitful life. So do not mourn and do not weep. For I have earned this peaceful sleep. - Author unknown

THE RECORDING OF A CEMETERY by THELMA GREENE REAGAN
Today we walked where others walked,
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried,
For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.
Today our hearts were touched,
By graves of tiny babies,
Snatched from the arms of loving kin,
In the heartbreak of the ages.
Today we saw where the grandparents lay,
In the last sleep of their time,
Lying under the trees and clouds,
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.
Today we wondered about an unmarked spot.
Who lies beneath this hallowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young or old?
No indication could be found.
Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.
We had been here once before.
On a day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.
Today we recorded for kith and kin,
The graves of ancestors past.
To be preserved for generations hence,
A record we hope will last.
Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend,
For stones sometimes crumble to dust.
And generations of folks yet to come,
Will be grateful for your trust.

If we could have a lifetime wish, A dream that would come true, We pray to God with all our heart for yesterday and you. A thousand words can't bring you back, We know because we tried, Neither will a thousand tears, We know because we cried. You left behind broken hearts, And happy memories too. But we never wanted memories, We only wanted you.

Dear ancestor, Your tombstone stands among the rest, neglected and alone. The name and date are chiseled out on polished, marbled stone. It reaches out to all who care. It is much too late to mourn. You did not know that I'd exist, you died and I was born. Yet each of us are cells of you, in flesh, in blood, in bone. Our blood contracts and beats a pulse entirely not our own. Dear ancestor, the place you filled one hundred years ago, Spreads out among the ones you left, who would have loved you so. I wonder if you lived and loved, I wonder if you knew, That someday I would find this spot, and come to visit you.
By Walter Butler Palmer 1906

"Don't stand by my grave and weep,
For I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint of snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning, hush.
For I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circle flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand by my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die."

– Mary Elizabeth Frye

If I should go tomorrow, it would never be goodbye, for I have left my heart with you, so, don't you ever cry. The love that's deep within me, shall reach you from the stars, you'll feel it from the heavens, and it will heal all the scars.

Remember me with smiles and laughter. For that's how I will remember you all. If you can only remember me with tears, then don't remember me at all.

Feel free to use any of my photos in your family tree.

Lost my best friend Pat Glassburn in March of 2002. Miss him everyday.

"The Most Valuable Antique Is An Old Friend."

May the stars carry your sadness away, May the flowers fill your heart with beauty, May hope forever wipe away your tears, And, above all, may silence make you strong."
- Chief Dan George

And Jesus said~ "I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

They shall not grow 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 shall remember them. ~~ L.Binyen

I am sorry, for the loss of your person. And the million things that vanished on the day their heart stopped beating. And the billion things you must grieve, every single day that they aren't here. And I am sorry that there isn't a better word than just sorry.

I heard your voice in the wind today and I turned to see your face;
The warmth of the wind caressed me as I stood silently in place.
I felt your touch in the sun today as its warmth filled the sky;
I closed my eyes for your embrace and my spirit soared high.
I saw your eyes in the window pane as I watched the falling rain;
It seemed as each raindrop fell it quietly said your name.
I held you close in my heart today it made me feel complete;
You may have died...but you are not gone you will always be a part of me.
As long as the sun shines... the wind blows... the rain falls...
You will live on inside of me forever for that is all my heart knows.

The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS
When I say sorry for your loss it may sound perfunctory, trite even, but what I mean is I am sorry that you wake in the night gasping for breath, heart racing in agony.
I am sorry that you will know a lifetime of what ifs and could have beens.
I am sorry that you ache for one more minute with your love, knowing it can never be.
When I say sorry for your loss please know my soul is reaching out to yours in understanding and trying very hard to take away just one little ounce of your pain.

It is the light in the lantern which shows you the path, not the lantern.

"Like weary and worn out children, that sigh for the daylight's close, He knows that they oft are longing for home and it's sweet repose, So God calls them in from their labors ere the shadows around them creep, And silently watching o'er them, He giveth His loved ones sleep."

Today we recorded the graves of ancestors past. To be preserved for generations hence, A record we hope will last. Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend, For stones sometimes crumble to dust.

A very sad day on earth; a very joyous day in heaven. A beautiful friend will be missed.

You are not forgotten until there is no one left to remember.
And when there is no one left to remember, we are all together again.

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me
When tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand, That an angel came and called my name, and took me by the hand; The angel said my place was ready, In Heaven far above, And that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love. But when I walked through Heaven's Gates, I felt so much at home, for God looked down, smiled at me, And told me "Welcome Home." So when tomorrow starts without me, Don't think we're far apart, for every time you think of me, I'm right there in your heart.

The pains of death are past,
Labor and sorrow cease,
Life's long warfare closed at last,
His soul is found in peace.

They are passing away — these friends of old. Like a leaf on the current cast. With never a break in the rapid flow. We watch them as one by one; they go into dreamland of the past.

The Master's Way
Not ours to know the reason why,
unanswered is our prayer,
But ours to wait for God's own time,
to lift the cross we bear;
Not ours to know the reason why,
from loved ones we must part,
But ours to live in faith and hope,
though bleeding to the heart;
Not ours to know a crown of thorns,
sweet grace for us gain:
A cross, a bleeding heart, and crown.
What greater gifts are given?
Be still, my heart, and murmur not;
these are the Keys of Heaven.

Those that touch our lives stay in our hearts forever.

"Cherish Your Yesterday:
Dream Your Tomorrow:
But Live Your Today."

Rest in peace Dad and thank you for being a wonderful Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, and Gentleman for those of us who were fortunate to have been part of your life.

"Today recalls sad memories,
Of a loved one gone to rest;
And those who think of her today,
Are the ones who loved her best.
At night the silent stars shine down,
On a grave not far from here;
Where sleeps the one we don't forget,
And always loved so dear."

Beyond the doubts and hopes and fears,
Beyond the cares and joys and tears,
Beyond the smiling, and the weeping,
Beyond the waking and the sleeping,
Our loved one rests in slumber deep,
In silent and eternal sleep.

Love is stronger than death even though
it can't stop death from happening,
but no matter how hard death tries
it can't separate people from love.
It can't take away our memories either.
In the end, life is stronger than death.
~ unknown

Only a small fraction of me exists today. The rest of me died the day I was told you were gone.

A precious one from us is gone,
a voice we loved is stilled:
a place is vacant in our home,
which never can be filled.
God in his wisdom has recalled,
The boon his life had given.
And though the body moulders here,
The soul is safe in Heaven.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Dr. Seuss

"Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another." Ernest Hemingway

Tears water our growth. William Shakespeare

"Good men must die, but death, cannot kill their names."

"Anywhere with Jesus I can go to sleep,
When the gloomy shadows round about me creep,
Knowing I shall waken nevermore to roam;
Anywhere with Jesus will be home sweet home,"

The pains of death are passed, Labor and sorrow cease, Life's long warfare closed at last, His soul has found peace.

Our family chain is broken & nothing seems the same, but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.

"I am bound to them, though I cannot look into their eyes or hear their voices. I honor their history. I cherish their lives. I will tell their story. I will remember them." -Author unknown

God Looked
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 saw the road was 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.

You can shed tears that he is gone,
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes
and pray that he'll come back,
or you can open your eyes
and see all he has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow
and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow
because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone,
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
or you can do what he would want,
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

When the last curtain falls in those final waning hours, as I look back through the years, it's the little things I've found that really matter the most.

"These people will never be lost again"
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Tread lightly, 'tis a soldier's grave, A lonely mossy mound; And yet to hearts like mine and thine, it should be holy ground. Speak softly, let no careless laugh, nor idle thoughtless jest, escape your lips where sweetly sleeps this hero in his rest.
For him no reveille will beat, when morning beams shall come; For him, at night, no tattoo rolls Its thunders from the drum. Tread lightly! for a man bequeathed, here laid beneath this sod, His ashes to his native land, His gallant soul to God.

They shall not grow 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 shall remember them. ~~ L.Binyen

The sky had parted on a snowy winter day. One of God's angels came and took you away. Now your suffering has ended and you can Rest In Peace. We will miss you forever and keep you in our hearts.

"Rest easy, we have the watch"

Mother gone, and the world to go on as before.
Gone with a smile from the old homestead door.
Dear faithful heart to come back never more.
Home is not home, for mother is not there.
Dark is her room, empty her chair.
Now will she rest from her labor and care.
Till that morning fair.
Sleep, mother, sleep, with your hands on your breast.
Poor weary hands they needed their rest.
Well have we loved you.
But Got loved you best.
'Tis thy God giveth rest.

"It is not hard to die when you have lived – and I lived! I am happy among those who have gone before me. I am here looking down upon you and yours and those that will come in the future."

The only truly dead are those who have been forgotten.

Dreaming of the past.

Sleep on sweet child and take thy rest. God called you home. He thought it best.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/mapCems.cgi

Pride in family is pride in ordinary people
who in our hearts and minds become extraordinary.
Anonymous

Death is not extinguishing the light.
It is putting out the lamp
because the dawn has come.
Rabindranath Tagore

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

To my children; Be not sorrowful that I am gone and my earthly life is done. Be not sad I passed away, for in you my children, I live each day. There is a little of me in all of you. In each new one I live anew. So you see, I'll never be really gone, as long as there are children to carry on. I've had my share of love, sorrow and strife. I have lived a full and fruitful life. So do not mourn and do not weep. For I have earned this peaceful sleep. - Author unknown

THE RECORDING OF A CEMETERY by THELMA GREENE REAGAN
Today we walked where others walked,
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried,
For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.
Today our hearts were touched,
By graves of tiny babies,
Snatched from the arms of loving kin,
In the heartbreak of the ages.
Today we saw where the grandparents lay,
In the last sleep of their time,
Lying under the trees and clouds,
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.
Today we wondered about an unmarked spot.
Who lies beneath this hallowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young or old?
No indication could be found.
Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.
We had been here once before.
On a day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.
Today we recorded for kith and kin,
The graves of ancestors past.
To be preserved for generations hence,
A record we hope will last.
Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend,
For stones sometimes crumble to dust.
And generations of folks yet to come,
Will be grateful for your trust.

If we could have a lifetime wish, A dream that would come true, We pray to God with all our heart for yesterday and you. A thousand words can't bring you back, We know because we tried, Neither will a thousand tears, We know because we cried. You left behind broken hearts, And happy memories too. But we never wanted memories, We only wanted you.

Dear ancestor, Your tombstone stands among the rest, neglected and alone. The name and date are chiseled out on polished, marbled stone. It reaches out to all who care. It is much too late to mourn. You did not know that I'd exist, you died and I was born. Yet each of us are cells of you, in flesh, in blood, in bone. Our blood contracts and beats a pulse entirely not our own. Dear ancestor, the place you filled one hundred years ago, Spreads out among the ones you left, who would have loved you so. I wonder if you lived and loved, I wonder if you knew, That someday I would find this spot, and come to visit you.
By Walter Butler Palmer 1906

"Don't stand by my grave and weep,
For I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint of snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning, hush.
For I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circle flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand by my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die."

– Mary Elizabeth Frye

If I should go tomorrow, it would never be goodbye, for I have left my heart with you, so, don't you ever cry. The love that's deep within me, shall reach you from the stars, you'll feel it from the heavens, and it will heal all the scars.

Remember me with smiles and laughter. For that's how I will remember you all. If you can only remember me with tears, then don't remember me at all.