"WINTER TO SPRING"  REMEMBRANCE SERVICE FOR ANNIE February 28, 1999 Myrtle Beach, S.C. PLAY MUSIC - "When All is Said and Done" PASS OUT PACKETS OF FORGET-ME-NOT SEEDS LEADER: The seasons have two lessons they wish to teach us all: all things must pass and all things shall return. We see it over and over again as Fall turns into Winter, and Winter turns into Spring. We need to look at the journey through winter's grief, some of us stumbling, some of us falling, some of us buried deep in the cold that our loss brings. In our grief, we have truly experienced what nature experiences each winter season: a loss of beauty, a loss of life, and a loss of growth. But you know, those losses are not the whole story. That's only what we see. Something happens during the Fall and Winter seasons that we don't see - if it didn't, Spring and Summer could never happen. And so, too, even though we have experienced the loneliness and hardship of a Fall and Winter season, through our grief, something has been going on in us that will eventually lead not only to survival, but to growth. You have been given a packet of seeds to take home with you. If you plant them and tenderly care for them, survival and growth will occur. There's a story called "The Tree that Survived the Winter," written by Mary Fahey. In it, she tells us that trees survive Winter after Winter and lend beauty and hope, Summer after Summer because they are able to reach out to others with their gifts of shade, strength, fruit, and beauty. Though once ravaged by Winter, trees survive and can share the gifts of their new-found growth. Healing will never be perfect; there will always be scars. Love leaves scars. But the scars can produce a strength and growth beyond survival. We use the inner strength God gave us to move beyond the Winter seasons to the freshness and growth of Spring and Summer. The growing may be difficult; indeed the grieving was and is. But the growth-journey is never made alone if we reach out to others and then allow God to walk with us. As a symbol of walking together through grief, let us exchange our packet of seeds with the person next to us. PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE (from the Gates of Prayer, Reform Judaism Prayerbook) LEADER: In the rising of the sun and in its going down, ALL: We remember them. LEADER: In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of the winter, ALL: We remember them. LEADER: In the opening of the buds and in the warmth of summer, ALL: We remember them. LEADER: In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn, ALL: We remember them. LEADER: In the beginning of the year and when it ends, ALL: We remember them. LEADER: When we are weary and in need of strength, ALL: We remember them. LEADER: When we are lost and sick of heart, ALL: We remember them. LEADER: When we have joys we yearn to share, ALL: We remember them. IN UNISON:   So long as we live, they, too, shall live.                                   For they are now a part of us,                                                                     As we remember them. CANDLE-LIGHTING LEADER: We, gathered here, have chosen to reach out to Robert, to remember his beloved wife, Annie, on the first anniversary of her death. She died, but she also LIVED and so we come together to celebrate her life and the love, light, and beauty that she brought unto Robert's world and to other lives she touched. Although Annie is not physically present with us, the goodness that was unique to her now shines brightly before God. We honor and remember her in a very special way today in this ceremony of light. Let us remember Annie who helped light Robert's way on earth and who now enjoys eternal light and life in Heaven. GATHER IN A CIRCLE AND LIGHT ONE PERSON'S CANDLE. HAVE THAT PERSON LIGHT THE NEXT PERSON'S CANDLE AND SO ON. PLAY PAUL ALEXANDER'S 'LIGHT A CANDLE' Refrain: And I will light a candle for you To shatter all the darkness and bless the time we knew. Like a candle in the night, the flame will burn bright and guide us on our way. Oh, today I light a candle for you. Verses: The seasons come and go, And I'm weary from the change. I keep moving on, you know it's not the same. Do you hear me call your name? Do you hear me sing the songs we used to sing? You filled my life with wonder, Touched me with surprise. Always saw the something special deep within your eyes. And through the good times and the bad, We carried on with pride. I hold onto the love and life we knew. AT THE END OF THE SONG: LEADER:   You may now blow out your candles. SHOW VIDEO 'WE WILL REMEMBER'

This Candle Burns Bright For Our Sweet Lupie Angels...........