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May 26, 2004
Circle of Lights...
Yesterday evening, Julianna, her brothers John and Jason, our friend Julie and her daughter Ava, and I went to the J.C. Nichols fountain for Kansas City Hospice‘s annual Circle of Lights.
Circle of Lights is a “luminary service” that commemorates those who have died in Hospice care. We were there for my wife’s (and brother-in-laws’s) father who passed away last December after having suffered from cancer.
It was a good, though somber, evening. It was neat to see so many people out for the purpose of remembering their loved ones. There were a few tears, but mostly we had a sense of awe at the amount of people who had suffered similar circumstances.
It is still a struggle for us once in a while. The grieving process is a mysterious foe who sneaks up on us at always unexpected times. While we are able to cope with our loss, we still mourn. While we understand and appreciate how everything came to pass, we still wish it had never happen.
One thing that struck me last night was nothing new; Julianna and I have discussed it before. But, my sadness overwhelemed me as I considered the fact that our children would never know one of their grandfathers. This is a heavy, heavy thought.
At least, we’ll have our stories…
Here is something that was read and responded to last night at the ceremony:
“We Remember”
Leader: Our world is full of things that will take us back into the past, remind us of our loved ones and what we have lost by their passing. Old songs, fragrances, seasonal changes of weather. Holidays. Birthdays. The list goes on.
Well, let them come, these reminders. Sometimes they bear with them a poignant sweetness. Sometimes we think they will break our hearts.
As time passes, these sieges will be more short-lived, easier to move through and come out on the other side.
It is well not to fight our memories of our loved ones, but let them pass through us — savoring their sweetness if it is there, bearing the pain while it lasts — knowing that in a little while, we can lay claim to ourselves again.
Leader: In the rising of the sun and its going down. Participants: We remember them.
Leader: In the blowing of the wind and the chill of winter. Participants: We remember them.
Leader: In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring. Participants: We remember them.
Leader: In the blueness of the sky and the warmth of summer. Participants: We remember them.
Leader: In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn. Participants: We remember them.
Leader: In the beginning of the year and when it ends. Participants: We remember them.
Leader: When we are lost and sick at heart. Participants: We remember them.
Leader: When we have joys we yearn to share. Participants: We remember them.
Leader: So long as they live, so too shall they live. Participants: For they are now a part of us, as we remember them.
All: We remember our loved ones. We honor their memory this night and always.
Posted at 09:11 am
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timsamoff () (URL) - November 15, 2005 at 10:09 am
