Reflections on the Eighth Week of Spring - Mom Dot's Memorial Service

Columbarium at First Presbyterian Church of Hilton Head

      Saturday at 10 a.m., my brother Bob, his son Robert, Spence, our daughter Ellen, and I gathered at the columbarium outside the First Presbyterian Church of Hilton Head Island. Sunshine lit an azure blue sky, a cool breeze tousled Spanish moss dangling from live oak trees, and the swish of cars on William Hilton Parkway sounded like waves on the beach. Pastor Susie Cashion led the memorial service for Mom Dot. In addition to prayers and other readings, she read Psalm 23, my suggestion, and Mary Stevenson's “Footprints in the Sand” poem, Bob's suggestion. The only hymn was “Be Still My Soul,” my sister Anita's suggestion. Pastor Susie sang all three verses a cappella by herself. Though I'd practiced the hymn with YouTube versions, I only got the first two lines out before I choked up with tears. I shared a pocket pack of tissues with Bob. After Pastor Susie's talk, “Meeting Kindness with Kindness,” Bob and I only had two tissues left. After the service, Pastor Susie helped with family photos and rearranging flowers.

Bob and Janet