I Love you Mom and I know that you are happy with your funeral today. Love, Karen WRITTEN BY JERRI VERZI TO BE READ AT HER FUNERAL DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, I HOPE THAT YOU WILL MISS ME AND THINK OF ME SOMETIME. BUT PLEASE DON?T BE SAD FOR TOO LONG?. SADNESS AND SORROW ARE FOR THOSE WHO DIE WITHOUT FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO REMEMBER GOOD AND HAPPY TIMES TOGETHER. I HAVE LIVED TO BE 90 YEARS OLD AND ENJOYED THEM ALL. I?VE LAUGHED A LOT, CRIED A LITTLE, SEEN GOD?S SUNSETS, NEW DAWNS, WALKED IN APRIL?S RAIN AND WATCHED THE OCEAN ROLL. I?VE LOVED A WONDERFUL MAN AND WAS LOVED IN RETURN. I?VE HELD MY BABY DAUGHTER, KAREN IN MY ARMS. LIFE WAS GOOD, I SAW THE ROBINS IN THE SPRING, WALKED UNDER THE MOON AND STOOD ON A MOUNTAIN. SOMEDAY, AT A QUIET MOMENT, YOU WILL FEEL A WARM BREEZE ACROSS YOUR CHEEK, I WILL BE SHARING THAT MOMENT WITH YOU. THERE WERE SO MANY HAPPY TIMES, THE CHRISTMAS MORNINGS, THE GRADUATIONS, THE WEDDINGS, THE GRANDCHILDREN, GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT, GREAT- GRANDCHILDREN AND ALL THE TIMES WE WERE TOGETHER AS A FAMILY. YOU KNOW, WE NEVER DIE AS LONG AS THERE ARE THOSE WHO LOVE US AND REMEMBER US WITH FONDNESS OR AS LONG AS OUR MEMORY BRINGS A SMILE. SO REMEMBER ME AND FORGIVE ME FOR ALL MY MANY MISTAKES AND FAILINGS REMEMBER ME AS WIFE, MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER AND FRIEND WHO SHARED YOUR LAUGHTER, TEARS AND DREAMS THROUGH THE YEARS WITH LOVE. REMEMBER, ?LOVE NEVER DIES?. MY PERSONAL NIGHTLY PRAYER: THANK YOU GOD, YOU LET ME SEE A BLUEBIRD IN OUR WILLOW TREE A RABBIT HOPPING IN THE GRASS AND OVERHEAD A WHITE CLOUD PASS. IT WAS SO STILL, I KNOW I HEARD A CRICKET CHIRP A CRICKET WORD THE WIND KEPT WHISTLING OUT OF TUNE THE GRASS SAID ?HUSH? ALL AFTERNOON? DEAR GOD, I HAVEN?T MUCH TO SAY, EXCEPT I?VE HAD A LOVELY DAY THE MIZPAH GO THOU THY WAY, AND I GO MINE, APART, YET NOT AFAR; ONLY A THIN VEIL HANGS BETWEEN THE PATHWAYS WHERE WE ARE. AND, ?GOD KEEP WATCH ?TWEEN THEE AND ME.? THIS IS MY PRAYER; HE LOOKS THY WAY, HE LOOKETH MINE, AND KEEPS US NEAR. AND THOUGH OUR PATHS BE SEPARATE, AND THY WAY IS NOT MINE, YET COMING TO THE MERCY SEAT, MY SOUL WILL MEET WITH THINE. AND ?GOD KEEP WATCH ?TWEEN THEE AND ME? I?LL WHISPER THERE. HE BLESSETH THEE, HE BLESSETH ME, AND WE ARE NEAR. THE LAST LETTER MY HUSBAND WROTE TO ME ON SEPT. 28, 2009 TWO MONTHS BEFORE HIS DEATH TO MY DARLING WIFE, THANK YOU FOR MARRYING ME, YOU HAVE MADE ME SO HAPPY!!!!!! I COULDN?T HAVE FOUND A MORE PERFECT MATE THAN YOU I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER I FEEL THAT MY TIME IS GETTING VERY NEAR! I FELT IT NECESSARY TO WRITE YOU THIS NOTE NOW. WE ALL HAVE TO FACE DEATH SOONER OR LATER I LOVE YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER AND SOME DAY WE WILL MEET AGAIN, HOPEFULLY IN HEAVEN!! YOU WERE A PERFECT MATE!!! IF THERE IS A HEAVEN, I WILL MEET YOU THERE!!! YOUR LOVING HUSBAND, LOVE ALFRED GONE FROM MY SIGHT THE DYING EXPERIENCE FROM HOSPICE I AM STANDING UPON THE SEASHORE. A SHIP AT MY SIDE SPREADS HER WHITE SAILS TO THE MORNING BREEZE AND STARTS FOR THE BLUE OCEAN. SHE IS AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY AND STRENGTH. I STAND AND WATCH HER UNTIL AT LENGTH SHE HANGS LIKE A SPECK OF WHITE CLOUD JUST WHERE THE SEA AND SKY COME TO MINGLE WITH EACH OTHER. ?THEN SOMEONE AT MY SIDE SAYS: THERE, SHE IS GONE!? GONE WHERE? GONE FROM MY SIGHT. THAT IS ALL. SHE IS JUST AS LARGE IN MAST AND FULL AND SPAR AS SHE WAS WHEN SHE LEFT MY SIDE AND SHE IS JUST AS ABLE TO BEAR HER LOAD OF LIVING FREIGHT TO HER DESTINED PORT. HER DIMINISHED SIZE IS IN ME, NOT IN HER. AND JUST AT THE MOMENT WHEN SOMEONE AT MY SIDE SAYS, ?THERE, SHE IS GONE!? THERE ARE OTHERS WATCHING HER COMING, AND OTHER VOICES READY TO TAKE UP THE GLAD SHOUT: ?HERE SHE COMES!? AND THAT IS DYING I FOUND A BOOK THAT MY MOTHER WROTE ON THE COVER ?KEEP THIS WITH ME ALWAYS? SAFE PASSAGE BY MOLLY FUMIA WORDS TO HELP THE GRIEVING HOLD FAST AND LET GO. WRITTEN IN THE COVER BY MY MOTHER ?2010 THIS LITTLE BOOK HAS BEEN MY SALVATION. I READ IT OVER AND
