Farewell Ceremony

I went to my Dragon Boat teammate Sue’s memorial ceremony tonight. The team paid a tribute to her with a dance to the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”, which I barely survived because I didn’t know the steps. And we sang a song for her about holding on together, which I could barely do through the teary eyes (plus, I didn’t know the words!) I know Sue would not only forgive us for our blunders through the dance and song in her honor, she’d be laughing.

The ceremony was in a church with the usual things you expect from a Christian ceremony – hymns, tributes, and a sermon from the pastor. The pastor said we should thank God for Sue’s talents, her energy, her enthusiasm, and her compassion. I thought secretly to myself, “I thank SUE for all of those things. Why do we have to give God credit for all that?” As Casey the preacher said in The Grapes of Wrath, “Why do we got to hang it all on God? Maybe the Holy Sperit is the Human Sperit?” Go Casey.

But I also thought about how much comfort it gave Sue’s family and friends to think that God had led her life and that she was now with God. And if she hadn’t died so suddenly, she might have felt peace in her final moments as she looked forward to meeting her creator. I guess some people need to hang it on God.