Immediately the church made themselves available in any way possible. Yesterday the church was filled to overflow capacity as well over a thousand people attended this young ladies funeral.
The minister mentioned something while he was conducting the funeral. He said that it's in moments like these that all we seem to be able to offer are words. I pondered that statement and looked around the large auditorium. No, I thought, we can offer more than words. We can at times offer silence. That's right- silence: the complete absence of sound. Hardly seems possible in todays world. Oftentimes it is in the utter silence of time and space that it faces us to deal with our own... life, mortality, problems, hopes, dreams and fears. Many times, we offer a "moment of silence" to memorialize a person or event!
Another thing that we can offer are symbols. Again, I looked around the auditorium and saw symbols. You see the young girl that was killed happened to be a cheerleader at the local High School. Her favorite color appeared to be bright, lime-green. So the cheerleaders all wore a bright green ribbon or some other token to remember her. A symbol. Other symbols were flowers, a moving video filled with still photos of her with friends and families. In fact, symbols flooded the auditorium and continue to do so in a roadside memorial set up by students, friends and other people in the community. Balloons, candles, posters and more flowers- all symbols to offer help, hope and healing.
After all, that's what is needed in times like that- help, hope and healing. One last symbol that I could not help but notice on the stage was a large wooden cross. I hope that the cross was noticed by the thousand-plus caring and concerned people that filled the auditorium. For it is in the cross of Jesus Christ that we truly can find help, hope and healing. As the young people, friends and family members continue to heal remember we can offer more than words.
May God bless the family, friends, school and community of this young lady.
