What is a simple prayer or words that could be used at a graveside
service for a non church attending person?  I am handling the entire
service and need some help.
Thanks

Greetings Mydogbaron:

I have discovered a few sample eulogies for you, an outline for
composing a eulogy for a church or graveside service and I have
included some words that give me comfort.

Outline from http://www.rochesterfuneralhomes.com/Resource_Guides/Writing_a_eulogy.html

Biographical Information 
  Names of parents 
  Residence 
  Occupations (where they worked and how long) 
  Hobbies 
  Social organizations they belonged to 
  Marriage/children 

Human Interest Information 
  Events that shaped the deceased's thoughts 
  Family anecdotes 
  Beliefs 
  Fond memories of your own 
  Beloved pets 
  Philosophies of life 
  Poems or Prose 

*Religious Service 
  Bible readings 
  Prayers 
  Sermon 

Conclusion 

* [optional since the person is non church member]

**************

SAMPLE EULOGIES:

http://www.angelfire.com/tv/lighting/service.html

http://www.rainbowark.com/health/eulogy.htm

*************

Favorite words of mine:

Desiderata
http://www.ameritech.net/users/macler/desiderata.html


The reconstruction of a poem for a Google Answers customer
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=137971

Ah, see!  She sleeps in perfect rest,  
Still as the flowers above her breast;  
A statue of repose she seems,  
Unvexed by any earthly dreams;  
God’s angel, men call Death, hath brought,  
God’s peace, that passeth human thought.  
  
Of care and weariness and pain  
No haunting memories remain.  
From night of earth her spirit wakes  
While the eternal morning breaks.  
Illness and age have passed away;  
She finds her sweet,lost youth to-day.  
  
She has gone out from the home so dear  
Made by her presence bright with cheer.  
Since, as a bride, she came to be  
Home’s angel of sweet ministry, -  
To enter Home’s eternal door  
Whence none go out forevermore.  
  
Above her rest we speak her praise-  
Of the loving heart, the winning ways.


The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html


Wishing by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
http://12.212.98.80/~redwards/poems/pwishin3.htm

Song of the Spirit by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
http://12.212.98.80/~redwards/poems/psongsp2.htm

You and Today by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
http://12.212.98.80/~redwards/poems/pyouand2.htm

The Wish by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
http://12.212.98.80/~redwards/poems/pthewish.htm

Illusion by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
http://12.212.98.80/~redwards/poems/pillusi3.htm


Thank you for the opportunity to answer this question and, should you
need further assistance, please request it and I will be happy to
respond.

Best regards,
journalist-ga


SEARCH STRATEGY:

poems of Ella Wheeler Wilcox
"The Road Not Taken"
how to write a eulogy
graveside service sample text

I find this simple poem by Wendell Berry to be very moving:

He goes free of the earth. 
The sun of his last day sets 
clear in the sweetness of his liberty. 

The earth recovers from his dying, 
the hallow of his life remaining 
in all his death leaves. 

Radiances know him. Grown lighter 
than breath, he is set free 
in our remembering. Grown brighter 

than vision, he goes dark 
into the life of the hill 
that holds his peace. 

He's hidden among all that is, 
and cannot be lost.