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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Heaven: What I want on my tombstone
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moron
Shipmate
# 206
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Posted
I'm about convinced cremation makes the most sense but just for grits and shins: what do you want on your tombstone?
[ 30. October 2009, 09:37: Message edited by: Firenze ]
Posts: 4236 | From: Bentonville | Registered: May 2001
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
I also prefer cremation, so I have not put too much thought into that one. I have thought that the last stanza of St. Patricks Breastplate would be a good one:
quote:
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
I think that sums it up quite nicely.
It would also be nice if it were here (the Silver Plume Cemetery just outside of Silver Plume, Colorado, which is a favorite spot of mine).
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
I rather like the old idea from the late and much lamented Spike Milligan:
quote:
I told you I was ill
Traditionally Quaker tombstones are simple affairs with just a name and dates - that is enough. However, if I was to be buried, which I'm not, or if my ashes were to be interred, which they won't be, I think I'd choose, were it up to me, which it won't be:
quote:
Continuing towards the Light
Actually
quote:
See you later
seems fairly appropriate, too.
[ 18. August 2009, 03:35: Message edited by: Wiff Waff ]
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Wiff Waff:
I rather like the old idea from the late and much lamented Spike Milligan:
quote:
I told you I was ill
Wiffles, great minds think alike; that was the first thing that came into my head when I read the OP.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
Middle son wants on his:
BRB.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
Firenze
1950-2100
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Esmeralda
Ship's token UK Mennonite
# 582
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Posted
We have just acquired the rights to hubby's great-grandfather's grave in Highgate Cemetery, where there is room for two more, so we will have a classy tombstone.
On my bit I want John 19.22: 'What I have written, I have written'. My final revenge on over-zealous editors.
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I can take the despair. It's the hope I can't stand.
http://reversedstandard.wordpress.com/
Posts: 17415 | From: A small island nobody pays any attention to | Registered: Jun 2001
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Organ Builder
Shipmate
# 12478
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Posted
From the Book of Sirach 38: 31, 34:
All these rely upon their hands, and each is skilful in his own work... they keep stable the fabric of the world, and their prayer is in the practice of their trade.
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How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself. It is much easier to be honest with other people.--E.F. Benson
Posts: 3337 | From: ...somewhere in between 40 and death... | Registered: Mar 2007
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opaWim
Shipmate
# 11137
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Posted
"Well, now I know
but alas that's of no use to you"
"Seems I got there before the Rapture"
(this would really be to spite some people who, in the mid 70's, pestered me with their divinely inspired knowledge of the Rapture within at most ten years. They're still around, all of them, in all their loving obnoxiousness.)
"I would have loved to be an optimist
but I knew it wouldn't work"
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It's the Thirties all over again, possibly even worse.
Posts: 524 | From: The Marshes | Registered: Mar 2006
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Patrick the less saintly
Shipmate
# 14355
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Posted
What about John Gay's self-composed epitaph:
quote:
Life's a jest, and all things show it;
I thought so once and now I know it.
In all (perhaps undue) seriousness, I have always been impressed with the simplicity of Isaac Newton's tombstone: 'Hic depositum est quod mortale fuit Isaaci Newtoni' or 'here has been deposited that which was mortal of Issac Newton'. Of course, if somebody would take it upon themselves to erect next to this simple grave an enormous baroque memorial in polychromatic marble with an extremely laudatory verse in heroic couplets by one of the great poets of the English language, as they did for Newton, that would also be great.
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'[Your religion consists of] antiquarian culturally refined pseudo-Anglicanism' Triple Tiara
Posts: 1802 | From: London | Registered: Dec 2008
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Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829
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Posted
For those of us lacking inspiration in that department, here's a few ideas. One or two might not be suitable for granny and the budgie, but I hope I'm OK posting a link to a Flickr group?
Personally I've always fancied the anti-Victorian "Not sleeping but dead", or perhaps "I'm not dead yet..."
AG
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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869
Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007
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Lord Pontivillian
Shipmate
# 14308
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Posted
"That's all folks" seems appropriate....
Rob.
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The Church in Wales is Ancient, Catholic and Deformed - Typo found in old catechism.
Posts: 665 | From: Horsham | Registered: Nov 2008
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
"My other tomb is a mausoleum."
"If you can read this you are standing on my grave."
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
A small brass plaque at the end of the pier, someplace at the seashore: Here lies Sir Kevin - he fell off his surfboard for the last time.
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If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Writing is currently my hobby, not yet my profession.
Posts: 30517 | From: White Hart Lane | Registered: Oct 2002
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Alfred E. Neuman
What? Me worry?
# 6855
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Posted
Free At Last! Free At Last!
Thank God, Almighty -
I'm Free At Last!
[nods to MLK]
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--Formerly: Gort--
Posts: 12954 | Registered: May 2004
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PrettyFly
Ship's sunbather
# 13157
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
"My other tomb is a mausoleum."
"If you can read this you are standing on my grave."
I love both of these and am seriously considering using one. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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Screw today. I'm going for ice cream.
Posts: 1797 | From: Where the sun keeps shining and where the weather suits my clothes | Registered: Nov 2007
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fletcher christian
Mutinous Seadog
# 13919
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Posted
Still no thinner
or
dead and loving it.
Actually I don't want a tombstone - i want a tree
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'God is love insaturable, love impossible to describe'
Staretz Silouan
Posts: 5235 | From: a prefecture | Registered: Jul 2008
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Resurgam
Shipmate
# 14891
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Posted
These are great!
I love the classics, so will go with:
Remember friend, as you pass by
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so shall you be
Prepare for death and be with me.
Posts: 54 | Registered: Jun 2009
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Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
quote:
let the dark come upon you, which shall be the darkness of god
Where does that come from, or is it a Zappa original? It sounds semi-familiar.
Huia
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Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
"Now I know."
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Eigon
Shipmate
# 4917
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Posted
I spent several summers visiting graveyards for fun, some years ago. I'm actually not too bothered about any messages for my tombstone, but I did like the assertion of a tombstone in a graveyard just outside Wrexham, North Wales:
"Prayer works! I know because I tried it!"
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Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.
Posts: 3710 | From: Hay-on-Wye, town of books | Registered: Aug 2003
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Resurgam:
I love the classics, so will go with:
Remember friend, as you pass by
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so shall you be
Prepare for death and be with me.
There is the (alleged) husband and wife variant on that, where the husband's epitaph goes:
As I am now, so you must be.
Therefore prepare to follow me.
and the wife's -
To follow you I'm not content.
How do I know which way you went?
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Resurgam
Shipmate
# 14891
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
quote:
Originally posted by Resurgam:
I love the classics, so will go with:
Remember friend, as you pass by
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so shall you be
Prepare for death and be with me.
There is the (alleged) husband and wife variant on that, where the husband's epitaph goes:
As I am now, so you must be.
Therefore prepare to follow me.
and the wife's -
To follow you I'm not content.
How do I know which way you went?
![[Killing me]](graemlins/killingme.gif) ![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
Posts: 54 | Registered: Jun 2009
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ErinBear
Shipmate
# 13173
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Posted
I was visiting an old cemetery and saw this tombstone from the 1800's - it had this delicate woman's hand with the index finger pointing sweetly upwards and the inscription
Gone Home
along with her name and the dates of her life.
In fact, I have a photo of it on my refrigerator...may sound strange but I find it a comfort. I'll take that, please.
Blessings,
ErinBear
Posts: 2441 | From: California, USA | Registered: Nov 2007
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Joan_of_Quark
Anchoress of St Expedite
# 9887
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Posted
I might not have thought of it if not for the shipmate with the same name, but I quite like the idea of "Resurgam." In my case it would be a rigor-mortised digit raised to Spineless the ex (name changed to protect the guilty), sub-text: "Dead or alive, I still have more Latin than you."
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"I want to be an artist when I grow up." "Well you can't do both!"
further quarkiness
Posts: 1025 | From: The Book Depository | Registered: Jul 2005
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Pasco
Shipmate
# 388
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Posted
Say Tis Utterly Not True.
Posts: 997 | From: Domiciling 'ere, living locally. | Registered: Jun 2001
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
This is not original, but I like
PARDON MY DUST
Moo
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Kerygmania host
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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Alfred E. Neuman
What? Me worry?
# 6855
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by PrettyFly:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
"My other tomb is a mausoleum."
"If you can read this you are standing on my grave."
I love both of these and am seriously considering using one.
Why not go with:
"Hey friend! Spare a moment to remove these weeds!"
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--Formerly: Gort--
Posts: 12954 | Registered: May 2004
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Left at the Altar
Ship's Siren
# 5077
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Posted
You're standing on my foot
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Still pretty Amazing, but no longer Mavis.
Posts: 9111 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Alaric the Goth
Shipmate
# 511
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Posted
I want this from 'The Battle of Maldon' poem:
he węs on Noržumbran hardes cynnęs
('He was of hard Northumbrian kin')
Posts: 3322 | From: West Thriding | Registered: Jun 2001
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Adeodatus
Shipmate
# 4992
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Posted
Paul Eddington, star of Yes Minister, once charmingly said he'd like the epitaph "He did very little harm", which I think is lovely, as long as you can claim it's true.
Alternatively, I'd go for the unoriginal but beautiful "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well". (Julian of Norwich).
Or, if the stonemason was up to it, what Alaric said. As I get older, I realise I'm more Northumbrian than English.
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"What is broken, repair with gold."
Posts: 9779 | From: Manchester | Registered: Sep 2003
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear
To dig the dust enclos-ed here.
Blest be he that spares these stones
And curst be he who moves these bones.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
W.C.Fields hated his home town of Philadelphia. At his request, his tombstone in California says.
"All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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Masha
Shipmate
# 10098
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Posted
There was an obituary in the Guardian today. In the first paragraph it said:
He gave much more than he took.
I thought that was a wonderful thing to be able to say about someone, perfect for a tombstone.
Posts: 308 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Dogwalker
Shipmate
# 14135
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Posted
While waiting for a car repair yesterday, I walked through the old Irish cemetery in town. It contains the graves of most of the famine immigrants to this area, as well as their children and grandchildren.
The older stones were interesting. Instead of leading off with the name of the deceased, many read "Erected by Somebody O'Something in memory of her husband ...". Most also included their home parish and county in Ireland.
One stopped me in my tracks:
Of your mercy, pray for the soul of
Catherine Shea
who died ...
I'm not sure what good Episcopalian prayers do for a long dead Catholic, but I did it.
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If God had meant for us to fly, he wouldn't have given us the railways. - Unknown
Posts: 155 | From: Milford, MA, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Moran
Apprentice
# 14195
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Posted
There are some good ones here! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
And I think "Next?" has an ambiguous flair.
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We can always hope!
Posts: 39 | From: Madison Wisconsin USA | Registered: Oct 2008
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daviddrinkell
Shipmate
# 8854
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Posted
I rather liked:
Here lie I, Martin Elginbrod,
Hae Maircy on my soule, Lorde Gode,
As I wad dae, were I Lorde Gode
And ye were Martin Elginbrod.
But then, he was a Calvinist and pretty sure he was OK.....
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David
Posts: 1983 | From: St. John's, Newfoundland | Registered: Dec 2004
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PhilA
shipocaster
# 8792
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Posted
I want, in really small letters you have to get really close to read:
Get off, you're standing on my bollocks.
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To err is human. To arr takes a pirate.
Posts: 3121 | From: Sofa | Registered: Nov 2004
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
I'd probably get what I deserve: 'Always trying', although 'This is the end of the beginning' would be more suitably cryptic.
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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lapsed heathen
Hurler on the ditch
# 4403
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Posted
quote:
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Aways liked this lyric as an epitaph.
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"We are the Easter people and our song is Alleluia"
Posts: 1361 | From: Marble county | Registered: Apr 2003
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
I'm not even sure yet whether I'd prefer to be buried or cremated, let alone what epitaph I'd like. But as a tangent, I do want God be in my heart and If you love me at the service. If it's possible, I'd prefer Psalm 130 to 23 as well. I've given firm instructions to both Madame and Dlet.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
"I'll be back"
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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opaWim
Shipmate
# 11137
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by lapsed heathen:
quote:
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Aways liked this lyric as an epitaph.
It may be advisable to ask Leonard Cohen for his permission.
[ 24. August 2009, 16:12: Message edited by: joris2 ]
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It's the Thirties all over again, possibly even worse.
Posts: 524 | From: The Marshes | Registered: Mar 2006
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ebeth
Shipmate
# 4474
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by sgk:
...The older stones were interesting...
One stopped me in my tracks:
Of your mercy, pray for the soul of
Catherine Shea
who died ...
I'm not sure what good Episcopalian prayers do for a long dead Catholic, but I did it.
I like that. Let me go on record to say put that on mine, except change the Catherine to ebeth or whatever they're calling me by then.
Posts: 1486 | From: Here | Registered: Apr 2003
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Amanda B. Reckondwythe
Dressed for Church
# 5521
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Posted
I remember reading the poem Lucinda Matlock in a high school literature class, and have never forgotten it.
Write for me:
I had lived enough, that is all,
And passed to a sweet repose.
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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.
Posts: 10542 | From: The Great Southwest | Registered: Feb 2004
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Athrawes
Ship's parrot
# 9594
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Posted
"Mostly Harmless" would do it for me.
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Explaining why is going to need a moment, since along the way we must take in the Ancient Greeks, the study of birds, witchcraft, 19thC Vaudeville and the history of baseball. Michael Quinion.
Posts: 2966 | From: somewhere with a book shop | Registered: Jun 2005
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