Posted by: sara | July 30th, 2018
So today I am catching up with my dear friend Jenny, sipping our peppermint tea, and discussing our work as home funeral guides. She recently took care of a friend who died---a good death actually since the friend had taken the time to plan ahead and not leave family second-guessing what she wanted. One of those things was to have Jenny choreograph her funeral at home and direct her friends how to take care of her body during her 3-day vigil.
And then what happened after the vigil I wondered? Jenny said the husband asked her to do a small service among the family and friends present. Jenny said she used some elements from a standard Christian funeral service, and then ended with a song she had used many times before. "It's a round," she said. "So everybody joined in and it was just beautiful."
And this is the song Jenny uses, with some words many of us have heard before:
Though my soul may set in darkness,
It will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly
To be fearful of the night.
Then I found out this poem was written by a SARAH WILLIAMS! She was an English poet and novelist who lived from 1837 - 1868. These lines are from the poem, "The Old Astronomer," and it is said that many astronomers have used this quote as an epitaph!
For sure, I plan to incorporate this song the next time I am doing a home funeral, or even during a service where I am the funeral celebrant. Twinkle, twinkle...
