Sometimes the right reading for the right person  shows up just when it’s needed.

So it was when I came across If I Be The First Of Us To Die, by Nicholas Evans, from The Smoke Jumper

Below there is an extract. Copyright rules mean that I’m not going to print the whole piece here, but it is allowed to read a piece in full at a funeral, for instance. Please do make sure to acknowledge the author.

Nicolas Evans draws his wonderful poem to a close with these beautiful images and a lasting thought:-

So when you walk the wood where once we walked together
And scan in vain the dappled bank beside you for my shadow,
Be still.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
Listen for my footfall in your heart.
I am not gone but merely walk within you.