These are corn poppies, the national flower of Poland.Today is my father's funeral. Born in 1940 in Lvov, Poland, he passed in 2010 in Salisbury, England.
It's been a long wait as the local crematoria have been very busy and my mother had to find one that was comfortable with a Quaker funeral.
Quaker funerals are not about mourning the loss they are about celebrating God in the life of the one that has gone and their loved ones, and joining together in community to gather strength and share love.
You don't wear black to Quaker funerals - I will be wearing a warm reddish purple skirt and sweater; my dad said that colour suited me. With my boots - he would have loved the faux studs!
There will be no hymns or prayers, unless my mother has chosen a favourite reading. Quakers are all about waiting - waiting to be moved by the spirit of the Lord. If you are, you speak. If you aren't, you wait...
And the coffin is cardboard - Quakers are very much in touch with nature and the world around us.
And no wake - some Friends hold meetings for worship after a funeral to feel the Lord, but it is not unknown to have a get together with a cup of tea and a chat.
Today will be our final farewell to the man who came into our lives and made us look at life differently. In many ways he made our lives better and more comfortable, in some he made our lives more complicated and difficult.
But I loved him.
cq
4 comments:
Thinking of you on this sad, unforgettable day. If I could send words across the ocean to take your sadness away, please know that I would.
((Hugs))
I am sure it was a most appropriate service. I hope you got to say goodbye in whatever way was right for you. *hugs*
Losing a parent is an awful thing, but it sounds as if you have made your peace and accepted that life goes on, even after the worst of shocks. Your friend on the far side of the pond sends good thoughts and a big hug.
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