The Funeral Planner

17/01/2025

Through all life's seasons, if you must hold onto just one treasure, let it be hope. Hope that whispers of brighter tomorrows, that paints possibility across your darkest skies. Let hope be your compass when storms rage, your light when shadows threaten to overwhelm. Trust that this moment, exactly where you stand, is part of a greater journey unfolding. In your deepest valleys, let hope be your gentle reminder that you are precisely where you need to be - growing, learning, becoming. For in those moments when life tests your spirit, hope isn't just an anchor, it's the wings that carry you through. Hold it close, let it bloom, and watch how it transforms your world.

~ 'Hope Carries Us Through' by Etheric Echoes
Etheric Echoes

~ Art by Freydoon Rassouli

17/01/2025

❤️

me: how long will you stay?
grief: for as long as you love them.
me: will i always be sad?
grief: a part of you, yes
me: what about the other parts?
grief: they will find a new way.
me: a new way for what?
grief: a new way to breathe.
to laugh.
to walk.
to wake up.
to create.
to experience nature.
to see the world.
to be courageous.
to hear music.
to carry hope.
to speak their names.
a new way to love from a nearby distance.

~ 'a nearby distance' by ullie-kaye
Ullie Kaye Poetry

~ Art by Kristin Vestgård

17/01/2025

So full of history.
Rookwood in the rain ☔️

14/01/2025

Sadness came to tea last night
as she’s often done before
but I didn’t let her in this time
I stopped her at the door

“I’m off to meet with friends”, I said
“your timing isn’t right
I can’t allow your atmosphere
it’s not the place tonight”

but sadness wouldn’t take the hint
her manners lack finesse
her pace was slow and heavy
yet she kept up nonetheless

and even when I took my place
amongst my laughing friends
she squeezed herself right in-between
her boldness never ends

and I was sure my friends would see
this spectre at the feast
and somehow think me lesser
for inviting such a beast

but no, their warmth was undeterred
as if nothing was new
I think perhaps they know by now
I sometimes come as two

and even sadness seemed to glow
a lighter shade of grey
to know that she’s accepted
seemed to lighten up her day

so let your sad accompany you
don’t think her hard to bear
no need to face her all alone
just pull an extra chair.

Donna Ashworth
‘Sadness comes’

From Growing Brave 🌱

UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0h6ASuCQ
US: https://a.co/d/cboRlcn

The art is by Galya Popova

Much love to all, let us strive to be kinder to ourselves and others.

16/10/2024

Last night I was privileged to lead the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Memorial Service at Pinegrove to remember our little ones whom we have loved and lost 💜
💜💜 You are not alone and our babies will never be forgotten 💜💜

04/04/2024

AS TIME GOES BY

As time goes by,
You will loosen your grip on that rock,
The one you always thought was home,
And you will realise that home is not a place,
It’s a state of mind.
Let it go.

As times goes by,
You will learn to see yourself more clearly,
The girl who was always too much of one thing,
And too little of another, was actually
Everything she needed to be.
Let her out.

As time goes by,
You will let the simple things become the big,
And you will allow the big things to become the simple,
And that readjustment will be,
The day you really start to live,
Let it be.

As time goes by,
You will be forced to say goodbye many times,
And your soft little heart will shatter but,
It will still beat and that will bring you,
All the purpose you need.
Let it beat.

As time goes by,
You will stop choosing wealth over peace,
You will stop choosing money over time,
And you will see that the treasures you need,
Are in the smiles and the laughter.
Let them in.

As times goes by,
The moments you remember when your life flashes past,
Are never the awful memories my friend, it’s the joy,
The summer nights, the lazy days with loved ones,
The midnight chats and the morning hugs,
Let them happen.

Let them all happen.

Donna Ashworth

Art by Autumn Skye ART (the wonderful!)

01/04/2024

19/01/2024

Happy heavenly birthday to my beautiful Grandma ❤️

You don’t move on after loss,
but you must move with.
You must shake hands with grief, welcome her in,
for she lives with you now.
Pull her a chair at the table
and offer her comfort.
She is not the monster you
first thought her to be.
She is love.
And she will walk with you now,
stay with you now, peacefully.
If you let her.
And on the days when your
anger is high,
remember why she came,
remember who she represents. Remember.
Grief came to you my friend
because love came first ❤️

Resounding words from an amazing writer, Donna Ashworth