Memorial Church Service

Today, I went to my new church for the first time since I moved.  When I got there, the greeter asked if I knew what was going on today.  I didn't.  She said that we were holding a memorial service for a long-term member.  I said, "But I didn't know her."  The greeter said that it was okay, that she'd been away for awhile (likely due to being in her 90s!).  So I sat down. 

The crowd was much less joyful than it usually is in a UU congregation.  There were funeral flower arrangements near the pulpit. 

The first speaker talked about all of the service that this woman had done for the fellowship, starting in 1967.  Then members and her family came up to speak about her.  She seemed to be quite a spirited woman.  Several of her grandkids spoke.  They were in their 30s, like me.  They talked about how involved she had been in their lives.  Everyone spoke about how she taught them to live their life through love. 

During these, I kept thinking of my Gram.  I thought about how nice it would have been to have had a service for her, to hear all of these wonderful stories.  To be reminded how amazing she'd been.  To see how her loved changed so many people. 

As I've been unpacking this past week, I've found a lot of pictures of Gram and items that she'd given me.  I've put most of them in my superhero-themed room.  She is a hero to me.  It was a good time for me to reflect on who she was and what I lost.  And to remind myself that she'll live on through how she changed each of us, and how we who she helped us become is raising the next generation through love. 

I love you, Gram.