Charlie Keene, Funeral Celebrant

15/02/2025

I'll be reading this beautiful, simple and calm poem at a service this coming Monday. It's not just for gardeners! What do you think?

THE GENTLE GARDENER, by Edgar Albert Guest

I’d like to leave but daffodils
to mark my little way,
To leave but tulips red and white
behind me as I stray;
I’d like to pass away from earth
and feel I’d left behind
But roses and forget-me-nots
for all who come to find.

I’d like to sow the barren spots
with all the flowers of earth,
To leave a path where those who come
should find but gentle mirth;
And when at last I’m called upon
to join the heavenly throng
I’d like to feel along my way
I’d left no sign of wrong.

And yet the cares are many
and the hours of toil are few;
There is not time enough on earth
for all I’d like to do;
But, having lived and having toiled,
I’d like the world to find
Some little touch of beauty
that my soul had left behind.

04/04/2024

Please be aware of this. It's the first time I've heard of it. I'm appalled people would even think of ripping people off over a funeral service. 😡

BBC News - Inverness woman says scammers targeted father's funeral - BBC News

Emma Johnstone says fraudsters attempted to steal money from mourners via a bogus live stream.

13/12/2023

A new poem for me, today:

Life Goes On, by Iris Hesseldon

Today I heard the blackbird sing
His anthem to the sun
And, Lord, my heart was lifted up –
New hope had just begun
Today the trees that once were bare
Were dressed in palest green
And I rejoiced in heart and mind
Such beauty to be seen

Today as storm clouds moved away
A rainbow arch appeared
And, Lord, my heart was lifted up –
The sadness disappeared
Today I knew that life goes on
As Nature wakes anew
And I give thanks for life and hope
And I give thanks to You.

04/11/2023

The author of this cartoon, Bill Watterson, puts it beautifully.

27/07/2022

Out on the heaths of the Forest today, down Lyndhurst way.

15/12/2021

I read this poem, chosen by the family, at a service today. It was new to me, but what a lovely poem it is, not just for funerals, but for any transitional time in our lives.

The River Cannot Go Back– Kahil Gibran

It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has travelled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.

And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.

But there is no other way.
The river cannot go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.

The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.

12/10/2021

Such a great tribute from the Romsey Old Cadets Band for one of their number, President and Drum Major. And a great man.

08/09/2021

I've said much the same a few times, but my word, this expresses it so much better than I ever have.

✨Expected Death ~ When someone dies, the first thing to do is nothing. Don't run out and call the nurse. Don't pick up the phone. Take a deep breath and be present to the magnitude of the moment.

There's a grace to being at the bedside of someone you love as they make their transition out of this world. At the moment they take their last breath, there's an incredible sacredness in the space. The veil between the worlds opens.

We're so unprepared and untrained in how to deal with death that sometimes a kind of panic response kicks in. "They're dead!"

We knew they were going to die, so their being dead is not a surprise. It's not a problem to be solved. It's very sad, but it's not cause to panic.

If anything, their death is cause to take a deep breath, to stop, and be really present to what's happening. If you're at home, maybe put on the kettle and make a cup of tea.

Sit at the bedside and just be present to the experience in the room. What's happening for you? What might be happening for them? What other presences are here that might be supporting them on their way? Tune into all the beauty and magic.

Pausing gives your soul a chance to adjust, because no matter how prepared we are, a death is still a shock. If we kick right into "do" mode, and call 911, or call the hospice, we never get a chance to absorb the enormity of the event.

Give yourself five minutes or 10 minutes, or 15 minutes just to be. You'll never get that time back again if you don't take it now.

After that, do the smallest thing you can. Call the one person who needs to be called. Engage whatever systems need to be engaged, but engage them at the very most minimal level. Move really, really, really, slowly, because this is a period where it's easy for body and soul to get separated.

Our bodies can gallop forwards, but sometimes our souls haven't caught up. If you have an opportunity to be quiet and be present, take it. Accept and acclimatize and adjust to what's happening. Then, as the train starts rolling, and all the things that happen after a death kick in, you'll be better prepared.

You won't get a chance to catch your breath later on. You need to do it now.

Being present in the moments after death is an incredible gift to yourself, it's a gift to the people you're with, and it's a gift to the person who's just died. They're just a hair's breadth away. They're just starting their new journey in the world without a body. If you keep a calm space around their body, and in the room, they're launched in a more beautiful way. It's a service to both sides of the veil.

Credit for the beautiful words ~ Sarah Kerr, Ritual Healing Practitioner and Death Doula , Death doula
Her original video link is here ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7mG0ZAym0w

Beautiful art by Columbus Community Deathcare
Always With Love

28/08/2021

I had the honour of taking 4 funeral services yesterday. I wouldn't usually agree to taking more than 2, but after the initial bookings two families I've served before asked, and I couldn't say no.

4 very different people from 4 very different backgrounds, all with very different stories to tell. All wonderful people leaving grieving family and friends behind.

The honour of serving them was mine. Thank you for trusting me.

03/02/2021

You probably know that receptions after funeral services are a no, no at the moment. My family this afternoon had an ingenious and beautiful way around the problem.

Everyone, including me, got a goody bag full of the deceased's favourite things, from a scone to ham rolls, a sausage roll slice to chocolate covered Brazil nuts. And his favourite G&T tipple! Cheers, John 🥃!

28/01/2021

A good piece from ITV news here 👇. I was a Funeral Director for 16 years. I say without hesitation these are the last front-line. Not just with Covid-19, they are in many dreadful situations.
👏👏👏👏

Workers are now being offered access to helpline support for the emotional stress many are feeling.

05/01/2021

I'll be reading this beautiful tribute to a wonderful (if slightly eccentric!), much loved mother today. Having lost my own beautiful mum over 25 years ago, I know how right this is 💜