Tuesday, April 24, 2012

More a celebration than a funeral

Last week Dorothy's sister Christine passed away.  The funeral took place on Thursday and relatives from around the country arrived to attend. It was a simple ceremony. The first half was conducted by a Cherokee ceremonial leader who explained how, according to Cherokee custom, the spirit of the deceased lingers nearby for a few days until the appropriate time to leave this world. The ceremonial leader lit a fire of cedar chips and used an eagle feather to waft the smoke toward the casket as he circled it several times. This was to encourage  the spirit to begin it's journey. Afterwards, Shannon Morgan, Christine's son-in-law brought a Christian message of comfort to the family, along with memorable anecdotes from Christine's life.



Christine lived in a wonderful log cabin in the woods. We all
gathered there for a pot luck dinner and for a time of getting
reacquainted with relatives we hadn't seen for some time.

Josiah, Daniel, and Dylan.  (notice the porch swing made from vines)






3 comments:

Rain Trueax said...

Sorry for the loss of her sister. I know from my own mother's feeling of loss when her sister died how major that is. It did sound like a very nice way to celebrate her life and similar to many such gatherings I have attended.

Envoy-ette said...

I sorry for Dorothy's loss. At least a gathering of others loved helps heal the heart.

dawn said...

So sorry for your loss, happy that the family could share in her memories.