Memorial Service – D. Byard Knowles
Musical Prelude – Hymn to Freedom - Oscar Peterson
Opening reading Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (Celebrant)
For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to search, and a time to give up; A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to mend; A time to be silent, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.
Opening Words & Prayer (Celebrant)
Reflections (Celebrant)
Eulogy and Personal Remembrances:
• Older sister
• Younger sister
• Dear friend
• Dear friend
Open Microphone
Musical Interlude – Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah performed by k. d. Lang
I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
You don't really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
Well she tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked the floor
Used to live alone before I knew ya
But I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Our love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Maybe there's a God above
But all I have ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya
It's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not someone who's seen the light
It's a cold and broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Moment of Silence to Remember and Give Thanks
Remember Me, by Margaret Mead
To the living, I am gone.
To the sorrowful, I will never return.
To the angry, I was cheated,
But to the happy, I am at peace,
And to the faithful, I have never left.
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.
So as you stand upon a shore, gazing at a beautiful sea - remember me.
As you look in awe at a mighty forest and its grand majesty - remember me.
As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity - remember me.
Remember me in your heart, your thoughts, your memories of the times we loved,
the times we cried, the times we fought, the times we laughed.
For if you always think of me, I will never be gone.
Closing Remarks (Celebrant)
Irish Blessing and Benediction (Celebrant)
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May the spirit hold you in the palm of their hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May the blessings of light be upon you,
Light without and light within.
The blessed sunlight shine on you
and warm your heart
till it glows like a great peat fire.
And in all your comings and goings,
May you ever have a kindly greeting
From them you meet on the road.
Musical Postlude – In Remembrance – Eleanor Daley, performed by Village Voices
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight-ripened grain,
I am the gentle morning rain.
And when you wake in the morning’s hush,
I am the sweet uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.