It started out like any other funeral request. Got the text from Beth, " Funeral tomorrow @10?" I respond with a quick "yep and thanks!" So I get up the next morning, get my family off for the day and proceed on to the church. It was a beautiful day - well beautiful for New York on a February morning after 25 snow and ice storms with mounds of snow everywhere, blocking people's vision in seeing other cars, but I am not bitter.. lol! I arrived at the church exactly at the same time as Beth - our timing is becoming quite good!
So we say our morning pleasantries, go into her office and start preparing. Of course, the list of music is already decided before the service - so Beth hands it to me, I look it over - no worries.. we have done all of these selections before. I get my folder and go out into the church
As I walk in I start setting up my stuff, I see one of the altar servers - Cindy. Now she and I have become friendly because we both travel to the same place in Jersey in the summer. She tells me a funny story about the ice cream parlor in town - how they have a "summer countdown" counter out - I giggled.. too funny - then we both figure we had better get a move on and finish setting up. I then take my psalm that I am to sing and put it on the shelf under the ambo (so I don't have to carry it with me)
- set the rest of my music up and then make the announcement to the congregation saying "as you can hear by the bells, the family has arrived and we will be starting shortly." I give them the opening hymn number and step down thinking we had a few more minutes, but the Pastor started immediately.
Now the deceased 'Jack' had an amazingly long life. 96 years. I found out so much about him - how giving he was, how he always helped everyone. I think my favorite thing was that he worked in a food kitchen well into his early 90's! But you could tell he was loved deeply by his family - and it was evident that he made an impact on so many other lives, probably through his volunteering - because for someone who was that old, the attendance for the church was pretty full! I guess we truly never realize how many lives we can touch throughout our own here on this earth. The pastor made a good point in his homily about Jack - he said..
"Jack's life has not ended but has changed, and it is a mystery to us what happens next but not to Jack" I felt very comforted by these words. How do we know what happens next - Do we exist as balls of energy? Does our soul get recycled? Do we have other lives that we will lead?
Believe it or not, I do ask myself these questions -
Do you? Let me know...
Peace out kiddies..
M
So we say our morning pleasantries, go into her office and start preparing. Of course, the list of music is already decided before the service - so Beth hands it to me, I look it over - no worries.. we have done all of these selections before. I get my folder and go out into the church
As I walk in I start setting up my stuff, I see one of the altar servers - Cindy. Now she and I have become friendly because we both travel to the same place in Jersey in the summer. She tells me a funny story about the ice cream parlor in town - how they have a "summer countdown" counter out - I giggled.. too funny - then we both figure we had better get a move on and finish setting up. I then take my psalm that I am to sing and put it on the shelf under the ambo (so I don't have to carry it with me)
- set the rest of my music up and then make the announcement to the congregation saying "as you can hear by the bells, the family has arrived and we will be starting shortly." I give them the opening hymn number and step down thinking we had a few more minutes, but the Pastor started immediately.
Now the deceased 'Jack' had an amazingly long life. 96 years. I found out so much about him - how giving he was, how he always helped everyone. I think my favorite thing was that he worked in a food kitchen well into his early 90's! But you could tell he was loved deeply by his family - and it was evident that he made an impact on so many other lives, probably through his volunteering - because for someone who was that old, the attendance for the church was pretty full! I guess we truly never realize how many lives we can touch throughout our own here on this earth. The pastor made a good point in his homily about Jack - he said..
"Jack's life has not ended but has changed, and it is a mystery to us what happens next but not to Jack" I felt very comforted by these words. How do we know what happens next - Do we exist as balls of energy? Does our soul get recycled? Do we have other lives that we will lead?
Believe it or not, I do ask myself these questions -
Do you? Let me know...
M
Yes- all the time! I believe in God...but we don't know what really happens. As part of "Heaven" does God give us an opportunity to be "reborn" and therefore our souls get recycled and we have a new life to lead- one in a different county, different sex, etc! New work to do...another chance to impact others? I think that's a brilliant question to ponder. It also might make you more compassionate to those suffering in another country- like Africa/the Congo where villages are raided every day and families are brutalized.
ReplyDeleteahhsome -
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could have said it better myself. We are here for such a short time - to me there has to be a continuation, a chance to help others. I definitely think our souls are recycled...
Thank you so much for posting!
Peace out-
m