By David F. Rooney
It might have been raining lightly but that certainly didn’t deter about 30 people from going to Queen Elizabeth Park on Sunday afternoon for the Hospice Society’s annual Snowflake Ceremony where we remember the people we love who have left this world.
We have lost someone — a parent or sibling, an aunt or uncle or perhaps a grandparent — and at times the grief we feel can seem overwhelming. For me it was the death of my brother Brian, who was just 14 months younger than me, and my father, Lawrence, who was robbed of his mind by Alzheimer’s. At some level, I am always conscious of their absence from this world and scarcely a day goes by when I feel the ache of that empty space in my heart.
Like me, the other Revelstokians who attend this simple event find a small measure of comfort in being with friends and neighbours who carry their own burdens of guilt.
“This is a special time for thinking about our family members and friends who have died,” Robyn Abear said at the beginning of the ceremony.
Gill MacLachlan shared a prayer she said often comforts her:
May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.
May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself just the way you are.
Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
Gary Sulz read a special prayer:
Today is a day of gratitude and as we gather here today
I thank God for the ability to give a blessing upon all who come before us,
all who we remember in our hearts and all who demonstrate love to another each and every day.
We asre grateful to those who volunteer with Hospice who while comforting us when were ill,
also allow us to heal, to give us the time to be silent, to be still and to reflect.
You are a gift too us and we are ever grateful.
Amen, Gary, amen.
In the meantime, here are a few photos from the ceremony.
