Yesterday, we said goodbye to a dearly loved member of the church.
Shirley Lancaster died as she had lived – peacefully. But this was not the end of a passive life but rather the end of a vibrant, creative, strong, caring and thoughtful life.
A few months ago, on one Sunday morning, Randall shared with the gathered community a reflection on life. A thoughtful conversation in which he referred to a piece of writing about life and death, and headstones which usually have etched into them something like 1943 – 2012. He talked about how the content of a person’s life is reduced to a hyphen.
A simple little ‘dash’ between a few numbers. Shirley Lancaster 1930 – 2018.
But on Saturday morning, family and friends, transformed Shirley’s hyphen into a rich and beautiful tapestry presented in words, stories, photographs, memories, art and music. A wonderful life was remembered, cherished and honoured. Vale, Shirley Jean Lancaster.
A hyphen awaits us all.
But it can reflect so much more than just a little ‘dash’ between a few numbers. How we chose to live, regardless of circumstances, influences how that hyphen is recalled and remembered. Life is not mapped out for us and every day, however constrained it might be, is full of choices. In so many ways we get to craft our own lives. And how we craft them is very much in our hands.
Shalom
David
1 Kings 3: 5 – 14
Matthew 26: 36 – 46
