A few days ago the Countess of Wessex described the Duke of Edinburgh’s death thus:
‘...so gentle, it was just like someone took him by the hand and off he went. It was very, very peaceful and that’s all you want for somebody, isn’t it?’
Perhaps she had in mind Bishop George Appleton’s prayer:
‘Looking Forward’
There will come a time, O Lord
when my links with earth grow weaker
when my powers fail
when I must bid farewell to dear ones
still rooted in this life
with their tasks to fulfil
and their loved ones to care for
when I must detach myself
from the loveliest of things
and begin the lonely journey.
Then I shall hear the voice
of my beloved Christ, saying
‘It is I, be not afraid.’
So with my hand in his
from the seeming dark valley
I shall see the shining City of God
and climb with trusting steps
and be met by the Father of souls
and be clasped in the everlasting arms,
which have always been underneath me.’
