A life remembered

Yesterday was my first day in my new job as a pastoral intern at a medium-sized, mainline church here in Denver. Mostly, I went to lot of meetings -- necessary, but not always fun. However, one of these meetings was a funeral planning meeting -- my first one ever. It doesn't exactly sound like a good time: meeting with a family whose loved one has just passed away, trying to get them to share memories of the deceased so you'll have enough information to give a eulogy. (To be clear here, I was mostly observing my supervising pastor: I'm not planning on conducting a funeral by myself in my first week on the job, nor am I licensed to do so.)

Contrary to my expectations, It turned out to be a sacred moment. It was a time for the family to share deeply their memories of their mother, both good and bad. It was a time of tears and pain, but also of celebration, smiles, and laughter. It was a healing and bonding moment. I must admit, I feel very priviledged to have been invited into that sacred space. I feel honored to have shared in the naked honesty of those lives. And I learned a great deal in those few, holy minutes.