Yesterday was a strange mixture of a day. Made up of attending a funeral standing for over an hour in a packed church; being at the afternoon session of our Baptist Assembly; having a meal out with friends between Assembly sessions; and then the evening Assembly session through most of which I was by then exhausted.
At the funeral met people I hadn't seen for anywhere between 35 and 5 years - some of them thought I'd aged. Is it that obvious 35 years on.....? The funeral itself was for Linda. We've known Linda and Jim for, well, 35 years, nearly all our married life, and been friends all that time. The funeral service was an experience that even this experienced pastor found heartbreakingly comforting, emotionally overwhelming in a way that seems even the day after, both inexplicable and right.
You see Jim presented the eulogy for Linda, preceded by a Visual Tribute of family photographs showing Linda as she was from baby to this year. And in what Jim said, he ministered to those who were there sharing in his love and gratitude for the life of his wife and lifelong friend. Then this man who couldn't sing, told of how during Linda's illness he took voice coaching so he could sing at her funeral, the love song that had meant so much to them as a couple down the years and in these past months. Being their friends for all these years, knowing the two of them, and hearing a non singer singing so well in leading a congregation, is simply one of the most moving events I've ever shared. And this was no exercise in denial - we all knew the reality of what was lost, and along with the promise of comfort within that loss, the deep human bonds of recognition that lie at the heart of love and loss, joy and grief, life and death - and how in the best friendships, these are shared.
May Sarton the poet once warned against wasting life's deepest experiences by being so busy in life we move on without assimilating and understanding what they have done to us. So maybe sometime later, when all of this is assimilated, I'll want to write something more - and only with Jim's permission. For now I am simply humbled though not puzzled, by how the love of these two people was made so astonishingly evident and then given as a gift to Linda, and us.
And the rest of the day went by in a haze - except the moment at the evening Assembly Session when, sitting with my friend Catriona of Skinny Fair-Trade Latte fame, the hymn THESE ARE THE DAYS OF ELIJAH was announced.
That was a moment of clarifying mischief, electrifying accidental providence, belief-defying coincidence (or did I pre-arrange it - no honest, I didn't!!) Eye-contact with Catriona came dangerously near irreverent guffaw. Instead I sang it with triumphalist gusto! If you read this Catriona, you can explain the metaphysical implications of your least favourite Assembly hymn being chosen at your first Scottish Assembly.
A strange mixture of a day.................
On the latter... I found it very funny, very annoying, very welcoming and probably a glimpse of divine humour... it's still my least favourite song but in a perverse kind of a way its present was somehow affirming. Of course I'm not 100% convinced you didn't pre-arrange it... :-))
Posted by: Catriona | October 31, 2009 at 08:10 AM
Only to the extent that the effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much. And God answered my prayer - the look on your face Catriona....
Posted by: Jim Gordon | October 31, 2009 at 08:25 AM
Hmm, so that's how righteousness is defined up here!!! ;-)
Posted by: Catriona | November 01, 2009 at 08:41 AM
Days of Elijah is one of my least favourite songs too but it brought a smile to my face because Helen was having to sign it :-) Imagine fingerspelling all those names and trying to keep the tempo! Glad it wasn't me ...
Posted by: Tony | November 01, 2009 at 05:33 PM
Hi Tony. I thought the signers at the Assembly were superb. To be congratulated for the mixture of practised skill and personal dedication it involves - tell Helen so. And then there was the challenge of signing for Benjamin Francis.... :))
Posted by: Jim Gordon | November 01, 2009 at 06:09 PM
Just found out that song was Robin Mark! I was surprised. Not a huge fan.
And was so surprised that Andy did it; I so did not imagine it at Assembly.
So you can imagine my HUMUNGOUS disbelief when choral singer / worship leader (and son of N Wright) did that song today at an early morning service.
The song is obviously stalking me as well as Catriona!
Posted by: lynn | November 01, 2009 at 10:52 PM
The names are a pain, but it's worse because I don't actually understand what it's on about - slight technical hitch if you're attempting to interpret something....
As for 'behold he comes, riding on the clouds...' well that's just plain silly if you sign it literally. I mean, does God sit astride them like a horse, or with a foot on each of 2 clouds or what???? I have to admit I change it to 'he comes in glory' which at least doesn't look stupid (and you don't have to know any sign to imagine how silly either of the above look...)
The song that cracks me and Tony up is "all who are thirsty" - the phrase "dip your hearts in the stream of life" gives particularly bizarre images to someone who is a medic and who does sign language ;-)
Helen
Posted by: helen | November 03, 2009 at 05:34 PM