A couple of non-religious prayers for funerals

I love attaching meaning to every day occurrences and how this might fit in with my own and others' belief systems and this is never more pertinent when it comes to love and grief.

Helen Steiner Rice Blessing

There is no night without a dawning

No winter without a spring

And beyond the dark horizon

Our hearts will once more sing ….

For those who leave us for a while

Have only gone away

Out of a restless, care worn world

Into a brighter day

This is a blessing I found by American Christian author Helen Steiner Rice, which I really like because it doesn't mention God, but if you did belief in a God of any kind, it might invoke your belief. Even if you don't belief in an afterlife, the message of the blessing simply nods to our natural propensity to think of those that have died to live on for a while even if just in memory.

Open the Heart found in PRAYERS FOR EVERYONE

Open up

To the sky…

High above

The blue expanse

Below…

Deep oceans

Flowing seas

Wayward currents

Swirling movements

Dancing Fish

Gliding plankton

Unfasten your soul

And listen to the music

The waters of the earth are singing

Rivers and glaciers

Grumble and roar

Streams murmur

They are calling to you

They are in you

And around you

Their harmonies are yours

When you open your heart

The waters of the earth

Resonate with you

And when you recall the song of the sea

The rhythm of the heart

Beats in harmony…

For all is one

And so…

You are blessed

Again, everyone can get behind nature and the power of our natural world, so even though this is a prayer, I think it is quite universal. I also like that it encourages you to open your heart up - to what you can decide: love, belief, hope.