Absolutely beautiful ceremony today. As a celebrant, I'm often left quite awestruck when, from intense grief, amazing things happen...today was such an occasion. We were in the Top Chapel at Haycombe (Bath's cemetery) for Alison's funeral.
The chapel can accommodate about 150 seated...I don't think there was any standing room left, never mind spare seats. First awesome moment was the way Alison's family coped - her two sons delivered the most emotional of life stories. It does become so personal when family members speak, and by the end, I don't think there was a dry eye to be seen. The whole ceremony reflected the beliefs of a very spiritual person, so our readings, music and thoughts were drawn from many different inspirations, which meant the ceremony was incredibly moving. And the ending was perfect. We had chosen a song that was uplifting and meant a great deal to the family. So at the end, the two sons and I gathered around the coffin, said goodbye and blew out a candle. The music started: "Don't stop me now" by Queen. If you have it in your i-tunes library, pause for a moment and have a listen. Then as the bearers came in and the coffin was lifted, everyone burst into spontaneous applause - wow!! What a way to say goodbye to someone so loved. Its hard to imagine the impact of such a simple, human gesture after such an emotional ceremony. Emotional day though, and my thoughts are with Alison's family tonight...
Today I have been mostly listening to "Rule the World" by Take That. We've used it at a funeral and on the weekend I heard it at a wedding - great song that seems to be perfect for lots of things...don't worry though - I shall be back to AC/DC tomorrow!
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