Losing a loved one is never easy and as we approach fathers day it can be a difficult time for those of us that have lost this great man in our lives.

Fathers Day is about appreciating your father for everything he is and does, it’s about showing, giving and receiving love. But most of all, it’s about taking the time to appreciate that cherished relationship you have (or had) with your dad.

So in honour of father’s day the team at Southern Cross Funeral Directors Sydney searched the internet for some beautiful and heartfelt funeral tributes. So without further ado, I hope you find these as touching as we do.

1. From Father to Son, Last Words to Live By

This isn’t so much a tribute as it is a great story. This article, written by the wife of a soldier killed in Iraq, tells us about a journal her husband wrote in for their future son “just in case” he died while serving. Even though the soldier, Charles, met his son only once before he passed away, the messages he left for him in this amazing journal will inspire him forever. One of my favorite passages from the journal reads “Never be ashamed to cry. No man is too good to get on his knee and humble himself to God. Follow your heart and look for the strength of a woman.”

2. Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton

This song isn’t a tribute to a father, but rather a tribute from a father to a son. Eric Clapton wrote this song to describe the pain and loss he felt after the tragic death of his four-year-old son, Conor. Conor fell from a window of a 53rd-floor New York apartment building and Clapton found him shortly after.

Even though he won’t play this song live anymore because of emotional reasons, this song is one of the most powerful songs out there that describe a father-son relationship.

3. Daddy: My Father’s Last Words

If it’s a good cry you’re looking for, this piece, originally featured on Esquire magazine, is where you’ll find it. It’s a very long read, but definitely worth the time. The author tells a story of growing up with a father who was less than admirable. In fact, he admits that he spent most of his life hating his father, resenting and unlearning every lesson he learned from him. But the end of the story, during his father’s last moments, describes a moment in time that very few experience. The story’s conclusion starkly contrasts the beginning, where the author says “And for once in his life, my father’s was the voice of love.”

4. “The Gift” – Li-Young Lee

There are a ton of poems out there dedicated to fathers, but this one is a favourite. It’s very unconventional and doesn’t follow the usual formula almost every poem does. Instead of simply telling us how much he misses his father, the Li-Young shows us through the use of metaphors and storytelling.

Lee seems to be recalling a memory from his youth when he had a splinter in his hand. The main theme from The Gift is about the care and tenderness that his father gave him as a child.

To pull the metal splinter from my palm
my father recited a story in a low voice.
I watched his lovely face and not the blade.
Before the story ended, he’d removed
the iron sliver I thought I’d die from.
I can’t remember the tale,
but hear his voice still, a well
of dark water, a prayer.
And I recall his hands,
two measures of tenderness
he laid against my face

5. Because I Said I Would

This video was clearly put together and filmed by someone who isn’t a professional videographer, but if you can look past that, you’ll find a message that’s incredibly touching. This man lost his father unexpectedly and in honour of his father keeping every promise he ever made, this man hands out cards that say “Because I said I would…” and asks everyone at his father’s funeral to fill out a promise they’ve made but haven’t actually fulfilled yet.