May she hear your words of invitation, "Come you blessed of my Father.
May she gaze upon you, Lord, face to face, and taste the blessedness of perfect rest.
May angels surround her and saints welcome her in peace.
Into your hands, O Lord, we commend our sister Helen.
(BCP 465-466)
I learned yesterday of Helen's passing. I also heard how you journeyed with her in those final hours. Once again I'm so thankful for who you are as the people of God at St. Peter's! I'm feeling like a member of the family at a distance during an important time. I'll miss being there for the telling of stories that is part of saying goodbye to someone we love. Over the past 24 hours memories of Helen and the reality of her death have entered my head over and over again. In my journal I wrote, "I'll miss who Helen was and all she did at St. Peter's: nurturing of plants, leading the altar guild, offering the labyrinth, quiet sharing of her knowledge and experience, how she contributed to a conversation, her sense of humor, the way she never embarassed me when she knew something I didn't (and maybe should have). But, what I'll miss most is Helen's faithfulness, the priority she made being a Christian, the way she lived her faith, her participation in worship. Although I know Helen is with God, given my absense from St. Peter's, I think the reality of her passing will really hit me in June when it's time for Wednesday Holy Eucharist and Helen's chair is empty. Know that I'm with you in spirit.
Some seventy people came to St. Peter's today to celebrate Helen's life: family, friends from many places, members of St. Peter's and other churches. At the end we all braved an impending storm to spread her ashes in Helen's Corner. I think the dandelions even brightened up a bit in her honor. She will be dearly missed by all.
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