Secular Words of Farewell

And so we come to the moment of farewell.

This is not the end of a story. A life as full and rich as this one does not simply stop. It continues in every person who was touched by it, in every act of kindness inspired by it, in every memory that will be told and retold in the years to come.

We say goodbye to the physical presence we loved so dearly. We say goodbye to the voice, the smile, the embrace. But we do not say goodbye to what matters most, for the love we shared cannot be taken from us.

So let us part from this place not only with sorrow, but with gratitude. Gratitude for every day we were given. Gratitude for the privilege of knowing someone so worth missing.

Go gently from here. Be kind to yourselves and to one another. And when the grief feels heavy, remember that it is simply love with nowhere to go. Let it find its way, in time, back into the world.