Before We Say Goodbye: Practical Guidance, Inspiring Stories and Prayers to Help Us Prepare a Good Death

by Ray Simpson

An inspiring but practical resource for preparing for one's death, including moving stories, thought-provoking quotations and comforting prayers and hymns, as well as how to prepare a will and make funeral arrangements. In a world where nothing is certain except death and taxes, preparing for one's own death is something that everyone will face. Ray Simpson aims to ease the burden in this heartening book. Prayers, songs, poems, quotations and Bible readings aim to provide comfort and encouragement, and stories from the deaths of saints and ordinary people aim to inspire. A section at the end of the book contains helpful forms to fill out, such as "On My Death Bed" and "To Find When I Die". A discussion of funeral arrangements and wills bring to light often overlooked details.

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Ray Simpson is Founding Guardian of the international Community of Aidan and Hilda and the author of forty books on Celtic spirituality and other subjects.

Before that he was invited to plant a Fresh Expression at Bowthorpe, Norwich: 'One Family of Christians for one New Neighbourhood' sponsored by six denominations. He has linked early Celtic monastic villages with villages of God inspired by emerging new monastic churches.

He owns a house on UK's Holy Island of Lindisfarne, where the Community of Aidan and Hilda has its Retreat House, The Open Gate and Celtic Library, but is mainly based on the nearby mainland at Berwick-Upon-Tweed.


His big project is to make 'The Way' accessible to
all peoples through daily emails (enrol on www.waymarksoflife.com) and a year's app is being crowd funded.