Do not stand at my grave and weep

I’ve decided this poem needs to be highlighted in some way for those people who may not be familiar with it. Despite it’s relative overuse at funerals, it truly is a beautiful poem that simply should resonate emotionally for people.

The sole purpose of this post is to make it known that I find this to be the most appropriate written material for funerals (particularly mine) as it carries no significant religious undertones that tend to skew interpretation of such materials. This is a straight-foward and natural, almost holistic approach to death and I admire it greatly for this.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.*
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.*
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.*
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

I’ve chosen this particular version of the poem as it includes specific lines that carry more meaning for me. They are marked with asterisks.