Simon's Memorial
Service
Although it was very painful to say
good-bye, we needed this. Simon is with the Lord already, but I needed to
surrender him. His life and importance was validated. We also felt very
loved and comforted by the presence of our spiritual family.
We debated about whether to do this
at all and who we should invite. In the end we invited our family and
closest friends. Then we asked them to forward the information to others.
We figured that, that way they wouldn't feel we expected them to come
since we invited them, but would be able to come if they wanted (since we
remember being disappointed at missing the funeral of a friend's baby).
We had a very informal service on a
Saturday morning - casual clothes and kids running around. It was kind of
like a garden party. I really enjoyed having the children participate. It
suited us just right. We met under a special memorial tree for unborn
babies in our local cemetery.
If you are reading this because you
are planning a memorial service - I'm so terribly sorry. It helped us to
remember that there are no rules here. Pray about it and do what you need
to. We felt this service reflected our family and our needs very well. I'm
so glad we did it.
Outline of
Simon's Memorial Service
Welcome - thank you for
coming; hand out balloons.
We had blue and white helium
balloons - each one had a verse attatched to it.
Open in Prayer
Read Psalm 34 - The
Lord put this psalm on Glen's heart a few days before Simon died. He
began to memorize it. It was the psalm we read over and over again
during labour.It is not easy and we don't always feel like it, but we
will praise God no matter what.
Read scripture - each
person in the circle read the one on their balloon.
Jesus said, “Let the
little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14
See that you do not look
down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in
heaven
always see the face of my
Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:10
He tends his flock like a
shepherd.
He gathers the lambs in his
arms
And carries them close to
his heart.
Isaiah 40:11
I heard a loud shout from
the throne saying, “Look, the home of God is now among men, and he
will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will
be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there
shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that
has gone forever.”
Revelation 21:3-4
For this world is not our
home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.
Hebrews 13:14
That is why we never give
up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is
growing every day. These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after
all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of
distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and
ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all
around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not
yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will
last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
The Spirit of the
Sovereign LORD is on me...
He has sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted...
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who
grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of
beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead
of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks
of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD for
the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:1-4
We also considered:
Phillippians 3:20-21, 1 Peter 1:4-6, Psalm 56:8-12, Corinthians 2:9,
Matthew 18:1-4
Mommy reads her poem
I am a Mom.
It’s who I am.
It’s who God made me to
be.
He put this call on my
life,
And then he gave you to
me.
But what can I do for
my child,
Who’s already so far
away?
I wanted to keep you safe
from harm
And watch you grow each
day.
I wanted to baby-proof
the house
When you began to crawl.
I wanted to be your
biggest fan
And comfort you when you
fall.
I wanted to sing you
lull-a-byes
And tuck you into bed.
But I’m writing a stupid
poem
To read at your funeral
instead.
The only thing I can
do for you
Is entrust you to His
care.
Heaven is the perfect
home.
I know you’ll be happy
there.
Jesus will wipe away your
tears.
He will sing you to
sleep.
You belong to Him anyway,
You were never mine to
keep.
But I will miss you all
my life,
You and your brother too.
So I’m holding on to the
promise
That we’ll be together
soon.
I’m your Mom.
It’s who I am.
It’s who God made me to
be.
He put a blessing in my
life
When He gave you to me.
Christie Hoos
written September
26, 2003
Release the balloons
Sing "Faithful One" We
asked our friend Jeff to bring his guitar and lead the singing. It was
beautiful.
Faithful One, so
unchanging.
Ageless One, You're my
Rock of peace.
Lord of all, I depend on
You.
I call out to You
Again and again
I call out to You
Again and again
You are my Rock in
times of trouble.
You lift me up when I
fall down.
All through the storm
Your love is the anchor.
My hope is in You alone.
Brian Doerksen
1989
Open prayer time
Closing words and prayer
Hugs and tears all around
Lunch at A&W with our friends
The only thing I would do
differently is sing a few more songs and get someone to TAKE PICTURES
(especially of the balloons being released). We have so few things to
remember Simon by as it is. Also we were not able to spread his ashes
under the tree like we wanted (stupid city by-law). We're still trying
to figure out what we want to do with that (buy a plot, put them with
his brother...).
