LITTLE CURRENT – The loss of a loved one brings grief to family members and friends. In the first year’s grieving period, anniversaries, birthdays and especially holidays can be the most difficult. The Candlelight Service, presented by the Island Funeral Home in Little Current, has offered solace to those in the community who have lost family members in 2023.
The service began with a welcome and a prayer, followed by the lighting of 170 candles for those whose funerals were held on the Island this year. Alma-Jean Migwans then sang an Honour Song accompanied by her drum followed by four speakers , addressing thoughts on peace, joy, love and hope.
Rev. Catherine Hazlitt spoke on peace: A path of peace in grieving – Rev. Hazlitt recounted Jesus’ weeping when his friend Lazarus died. She spoke of the peace Jesus held within his heart as something for us to emulate in our grief, but in also in the peaceful acceptance of the grief of loss others experience.
Rev. Janice Frame spoke of joy and how difficult this can be for those experiencing grief. Christmas is supposed to be a time for togetherness, optimism and joy – But what if it isn’t? When everything has changed and everything is different, how can one put on a happy face and pretend nothing has changed? Rev. Frame suggests that they can’t and they shouldn’t have to.
“By the number of candles on the table – this has been a tough year for many,” she said. “This year there are two Christmas gifts we can give to each other, or to ourselves: one is the gift of patience… the other is reminiscing about cherished memories. A wise poet once said, ‘Crying may last for a night, but joy comes with the new day.’ With time and with the creator’s blessing, that new day will come to you too, and with it the light of joy, to warm you, fill you and hold you.”
Dawn Dawson, from the community of Christ’s Church in Providence Bay spoke on love. “Sometimes, during the Advent season, a wave of sadness creeps into our hearts. People who were once an integral part of our celebrations are now gone. Grief or sadness can sweep over us in an instant. But, if we had not loved that person, we could not feel that loss,” she said. The power of love is a blessing. Love makes us humble and vulnerable “If you experience a moment of sadness in the preparation of this season, embrace it by acknowledging the tears and feel the love that will warm your heart and carry you forward.”
Fr. Paul Robson, a priest from Holy Cross Catholic church in Wiikwemkoong, spoke of hope. He used an example of an Israeli man, whose mother had just been killed in the war going on there, and the man said, “It could go either way, catastrophes like this create changes in societies and I believe it could lead to a better future.” At the same time, a Palestinian man said, “Either we choose to make it deeper and worse or we make it an opportunity to solve the conflict and to make living together possible.” Both men had hope in their hearts. Where there is goodness, there is hope. And there is plenty of goodness around us, if we look for it, he said.
The ceremony ended with refreshments and the words of the speakers filling their thoughts and making these days of the holiday season just a bit easier to manage.
