Help with a eulogy?

Question

I have been up all night making arrangements for my best friends funeral. I am to give her eulogy and I am afraid my thoughts and words are beginning to all run together! Does anyone have any scripture or poems that they could share with me that can get me on track? Without going into too much detail she was young (36) and was murdered. I need comforting thoughts for friends and family. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

i embrace you for your loss, i have no words, no poems, no scriptures. just imagine she is there with you, and speak well of this friend, as though it was a person being honored with an award. remember a good time, remember a time to laugh (that you shared) and speak of those things you appreciated them for. mourn their death, but more than anything recognize their life, and how it changed everybody they came in contact with. if it helps without bringing too many tears, listen to music you both enjoyed!!! be strong, and be blessed. thomas

Answer 2

These questions should get you thinking:


How did you and the deceased become close?
Is there a humorous or touching event that represents the essence of your passed loved one?
What did you and others love and admire about the deceased?
What will you miss most about him or her?

Some of the simplest thoughts are deeply touching and easy for those congregated to identify with. For example, "I'll miss her smile," or "I'll never forget the way he crinkled his nose when he laughed," are just as good as "I admired her selflessness."

If you need help in preparing a eulogy, there are companies willing to help. At www.lovingeulogies.com, you can purchase an online guide to writing eulogies or even have their professional writer develop a custom eulogy for you.
Tips


Be honest and focus on the person's positive qualities.
Humor is acceptable if it fits the personality of the deceased.
"If you are inclined to be a perfectionist, lower your expectations and just do what you can given the short time-frame and your emotional state," writes Schaeffer in "Labor of Love."
Keep it brief. Five to ten minutes is the norm, but it's a good idea to verify that with the minister or funeral director.
Leo Saguin recommends interviewing family and friends in his book "How to Write and Deliver a Loving Eulogy."
Put the eulogy on paper - at least in outline form.

Answer 3

~ When Tomorrow Starts Without Me ~

When tomorrow starts without me, and I'm not there to see.
If the sun should rise and find your eyes, all filled with tears for me;
I wish so much you wouldn't cry, the way you did today,
While thinking of the many things, we didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me, as much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me, I know you'll miss me too.
But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand,
That an Angel came and called my name, and took me by the hand;

And said my place was ready, in Heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind, all those I dearly love.
But as I turned to walk away, a tear fell from my eye,
For all life, I'd always thought, I didn't want to die.



I had so much to live for, so much yet to do.
It seemed almost impossible, that I was leaving you.
I thought of all the yesterdays, the good ones and the bad.
I thought of all the love we shared, and all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday, just even for awhile,
I'd say good bye and kiss you, and maybe see you smile.
But then I fully realized, that this could never be.
For emptiness and memories, would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things, I might miss come tomorrow.
I thought of you, and when I did, my heart was filled with sorrow.
But when I walked through Heaven's gates, I felt so much at home.
When God looked down and smiled at me, from His great golden throne.



He said, "This is eternity, and all I've promised you.
Today for life on earth is past, But here it starts anew.
I promise no tomorrow, But today will always last.
And since each day's the same day, There's no longing for the past.

But you have been so faithful, So trusting and so true.
Though there were times you did some things, You knew you shouldn't do.
But you have been forgiven, And now at last you're free.
So won't you take my hand, And share my life with me?"

So when tomorrow starts without me,
don't think we're far apart.
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here, in your heart.

Answer 4

wow, that's terrible! I'm terribly sorry! I've been in a position similar to yours, my friend's mother was murdered a year and a half ago. Here's a few quotes I love, hope they help: "Bravery is not the absence of fear but the ability to overcome it." "A friend is someone you want to be around when you feel like being by yourself"-> with this one, you could say how much you felt that this described your relationship, that you could tell her anything, and that she was always there for you. Emphasize the good parts of her life, maybe relate some funny memories you have of the two of you. Emphasize the good parts of her life, and that she will be missed. But it doesn't have to be depressing, you know? You can always try to make it inspiring, talk about how she positively affected those around her. Good luck, and hang in there

Answer 5

This poem by Mary Frye always moved me:

Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep

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

Answer 6

In the words of St. Paul in Romans 8: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? Yet in all of this we are more than conquerors because of Him who has loved us. For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus, the Lord.
The Lord Jesus, Himself said in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are those who suffer presecution for the sake of justice; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
And the Psalmist says in Psalm 116: Turn back my soul, to your rest for the Lord has been good; he has kept my soul from death,
my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
For these reasons and many more, while we mourn the passing of our dear sister, [name,] we cherish in our hearts the promises which God has made to us, that holding fast to His Love, we will all meet again in that better time and that better place. Then we will share in the glad report that He promised us: I love the Lord for he has heard the cry of my appeal; for he turned his ear to me in the day when I call him...the Lord protects the simple hearts, I was helpless so he saved me. The Lord my God has delivered me. And so shall we be. For whoever loses His life who lives in Christ, will find it again forever.

Answer 7

Read John Donne's Meditation XVII. I bet you're familiar with it. If this doesn't inspire you maybe you are not the right person for this eulogy.

Answer 8

The 23rd Psalm is a good passage to read, it is comforting and well known. I am sorry to hear about your loss.
Also, the verses about Heaven, "there will be no more pain, or sorrow, or death."

Answer 9

http://www.bereavement-poems-articles.com/poems/eulogypoem/eulogypoem.php

Answer 10

this website may help
http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=1+John+4%3A7+-+12§ion=0&version=niv&new=1&oq=&NavBook=joh&NavGo=4&NavCurrentChapter=4