Meditations on the Life to Come
An Interfaith Book of Comfort
When someone faces serious illness or approaches the end of life, words can offer comfort, reassurance, and hope. Meditations on the Life to Come helps you find those words. This meaningful collection brings together more than 200 short quotations, prayers, and poems from around the world, offering comfort to the sick, the dying, and the loved ones who walk beside them.
Because people draw strength from different spiritual paths, this book embraces a wide range of religious and philosophical perspectives. Whether you serve patients in a hospital, support families through hospice care, or help people navigate grief and loss, you’ll find thoughtful words to share when comfort matters most.
An Interfaith Collection for Life’s Most Difficult Moments
Similar in format to our Book of Comfort and Healing, Meditations on the Life to Come focuses on the next step in life’s journey. It explores the soul, the possibility of life beyond death, the experience of dying, and the grief of those left behind.
The collection includes reflections from well-known writers and philosophers, such as C.S. Lewis and Cicero, alongside sacred writings from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and the Bahá’í Faith. It also includes selections from Zoroastrianism and Taoism. Each quotation, prayer, and poem has been carefully selected for its comforting message and broad appeal.
Rather than presenting a single perspective on death and the afterlife, this collection offers a variety of reflections that can help people find words that resonate with their own beliefs, questions, and experiences.
A Practical Resource for Caregivers and Institutions
Meditations on the Life to Come can support the compassionate work of chaplains, healthcare professionals, hospice workers, caregivers, and others who accompany people through serious illness, dying, and bereavement.
Keep copies available in:
- Hospitals, patient rooms, chapels, and waiting rooms
- Hospice centers and nursing homes
- Pastoral care and spiritual counseling settings
- Funeral homes and bereavement support programs
The collection can also help chaplains, clergy, and others plan memorial services and find appropriate readings for funerals or gatherings to remember loved ones.
We also offer this title in a perfect-bound expanded gift edition, providing another format for personal use or gift-giving.
A Glimpse Inside the Book
The selections address many of the questions, emotions, and hopes that arise when people contemplate death and the life to come. Topics include:
- The Soul and Its Journey: Your Soul Reflects the Divine, Your Soul Is Eternal, and Your Soul Is Going Home
- Preparing for What Lies Ahead: The Journey Home Is One We All Must Take, Preparing for the Journey, and A Glimpse of Your Home Beyond
- Faith and Comfort: God Will Comfort Us, We Will Meet Again, and Death Is a Gift
- Grief and Remembrance: It Is OK to Grieve, Comfort for the Friends Left Behind, Prayers for the Departed, and Prayers for Those Who Grieve
- Poetry and Reflection: Poems of Comfort and Tests Serve a Purpose
These selections offer different ways to reflect on mortality, remember loved ones, express grief, and find comfort in the beliefs and traditions that give life meaning.
Quantity Pricing Makes Sharing Easier
We understand that hospitals, nursing homes, hospice programs, and other institutions often work with limited budgets. That’s why we offer quantity pricing to make it more affordable to purchase multiple copies and share them with patients, families, and caregivers.
Would your institution like to review the contents first? If you represent a hospital or another organization, please contact us to request a PDF copy for review purposes.
If you’ve purchased this book in the past, we’d also appreciate your review. Your feedback helps other caregivers and institutions discover resources that may support their work.
Shipping Information
We ship case orders by Media Mail unless you select Priority Shipping at checkout. Media Mail typically takes 6–10 days, while deliveries to Alaska and Hawaii may take up to 30 days. Please keep these delivery times in mind when planning for an upcoming program or event.
Nora –
“I have suffered from a genetic illness since my birth 55 years ago. I have beaten countless odds and made liars of many people who predicted my passing, including members of the medical profession.
But clearly God has a plan for me and I keep bouncing back. Recently I was guided to your booklet of prayers and inspirations from many faiths. It has become one more of the bounties and bestowals God showers on me. I have been reading it, sometimes with joy and laughter and sometimes with tears and a breaking heart but always I am comforted and inspired. And renewed, strengthened in my faith. Magnified in my love of God. Lead, encouraged and confirmed on my path and in His plan.
Thank you. For helping me to keep lifting my eyes, turning my face towards God, singing His Glories and for being among the ranks of those with whom He assists.”
Rev. Joe Holguin, MDiv –
Every day I visit men, women, and children who are in need of comfort and healing. The title of this interfaith piece, “Book of Comfort & Healing,” is readily accepted by the patients and families I attend to as a chaplain. The prayers and inspiration from several faiths enhance my ministry and enable me to bring comfort and healing to others here at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center/Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach. “This is just what I was looking for,” and ” This will help me a great deal,” are just a couple of comments I have heard from some patients. Thank you.
Karol H. –
Robert Montgomery –
Very happy with product
Anonymous –
Anonymous –
I have given this to bereaved families and it has been well-received; this booklet has given me solace
Eric Green –
Jonathan Pass –
Susan Wilbur –
Anonymous –
I found great comfort in this compilation, after the recent sudden loss of a loved one, so I ordered more copies to give to others. Thank you Karen and Justice for providing
such a wonderful little book of inspiration and reassurance.
Sandra D. –
A wonderful gift for the bereaved.
David Bellamy –
Recently, I was asked to give a presentation on the Baha’i Perspectives on Death and the Afterlife. This was a great opportunity to go beyond the basic principles and speak about the soul and our purpose in this world. I worked much harder than in some talks, and being so focused on that, I neglected to look for handouts as much in advance as I should have. Special Ideas jumped right on it and advised me what the options were and all arrived with a few days to spare.
All the materials were appreciated by those attending, but the booklet “Meditations on the Life to Come…” was received the best. They all loved it, and the room was composed of people from many Faiths and cultural backgrounds.
Now I have a few extra for those unexpected times when someone close passes. It would be good for any one of any faith background.
Thanks
Linda –
Perfect for everyone.
Mary K. –
I love this collection of interfaith readings. I use it personally and have given it many times to a family dealing with the death of a loved one.