Finding the right words at a time of loss can be frustrating. An experienced Unitarian Universalist minister and the author of In Memoriam: A Guide to Modern Funeral and Memorial Services, Edward Searl has been aiding people through this difficult passage for more than a quarter of a century.
In Beyond Absence, he has collected powerful and inspiring writings, both religious and secular, from across the ages and around the world, to help anyone struggling with life's final transition.
This extensive volume contains selections from the famous to the obscure and some works are previously uncollected. Contributors as varied as Thich Nhat Hahn, Thomas Wolfe, Vincent Van Gogh and Rabindranath Tagore explore many themes associated with death and dying including death as peace and rest, conflicted feelings about the dead, loss as transformation, healing and letting go, compassion for the bereaved, the joy of remembrance, and celebrating and honoring the dead.
Perfect for composing eulogies and readings for memorials and funerals, Beyond Absence is also the ideal resource for creating sympathy and condolence cards, offering comfort to the bereaved, and engaging in personal reflection during mourning and recovery.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Clerical Fellow's Stewardship, A Sermon Charles Edward Searle

Twenty-three hundred years ago, a man sought the meaning of life by ordinary means of observation, experience, and reason. He lived at the crossroads of the world, in a yeasty time of competing philosophies and faiths. He had a particular fondness for aphorisms that circulated throughout the Middle East. Eager students, seeking a practical philosophy of life, came to Ecclesiastes' assembly. His philosophy of life and memorable aphorisms, recorded in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, is a foundational text of the human condition and a primer for anyone seeking the meaning and purpose of mortality. This is a book that suits every stage of a human life. It transcends all narrow points of view in favor of the universal human condition, realized in every unique personality. WISDOM FOR THE AGES, informative and entertaining, renders Ecclesiastes accessible for our yeasty time.