In Memory of Marie

Service of Remembrance November 7, 2009

Last night the family and friends of Marie gathered to honor her life and share memories.

The sanctuary at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua was full, a heart-warming reflection of how Marie touched so many lives, the embodiment of the pebble in the pond metaphor that Rev. Steve Edington used in the service.

Thanks to Steve, Cynthia Schroer, the Hospice Singers, and Jed Holland for the service, and to the book and covenant groups and other individuals who prepared the food for the time of fellowship following the service.  It was good to hear laughter in the dining room, to help balance the tears and deep sense of loss we all feel.

If last night provided some closure, it also began a new and uncertain chapter for Henry, Zach, and Jon. But they will not walk the journey alone, as this community of friends has shown.

Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
- over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
— from Wild Geese by Mary Oliver