A Prayer for a Funeral From Afar During this Pandemic

It breaks my heart

To lay you to rest this way

From a distance

Without the sendoff you deserve.

No touch, no kiss, no loving crowd in attendance.

But I know your soul has already moved on

From the body we bury today

To the place of eternal knowing and peace

In God’s shelter.

I can’t bear your casket

But I can bear witness

To your undying legacy:

I miss you.

And nothing –

No person, no joy, no accomplishment, no distraction,

Not even God

Can fill the gaping hole your absence has left in my life.

But mixed together with all my sadness,

There is a great joy for having known you.

I want to thank you for the time we shared,

For the love you gave,

For the wisdom you spread.

Thank you for the magnificent moments

And for the ordinary ones too.

There was beauty in our simplicity

Holiness in our unspectacular days

And I will carry the lessons you taught me always.

Your life has ended

But your light can never be extinguished.

It continues to shine upon me

Even on the darkest nights

And illuminates my way.

May God watch over you and bless you

As you have blessed me

With love, with grace

And with peace,

Amen.