Funeral & Memorial Roster
May our Gracious God cause you to live every day as if it were your last. May God cause you to live now, as you shall have wished you had done, when your time comes to pass. And may God grant that you may exist in his Peace and Love forever. Amen
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet : On Death
Than Almitra spoke, saying, "We would ask now of Death."
And he said:
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the sheered not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.
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Rev. Gloria Ball
September 29, 2005
Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Praise to our Creator Source for giving us the blessing of Gloria in this earthly life.
We rejoice in the knowing of our Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Friend, Minister, & Healer.
Thank you for her Gentle Spirit, and her Generosity in giving of herself; and in the sharing of the wisdom she gleaned from her own life's lessons to help us all on our own path.
Help us to remember to be grateful for the span of years that she gave us, whenever we begin to feel the loss. When we feel alone, gently remind us that she is always with us; in our hearts, in our minds and in the oneness of spirit of the “I AM Presence”
We ask that you send your angels to guide, teach and help us to go within; and in this stillness, to hear her when she speaks, and to feel her when she is near.
When we feel lost and frightened, we pray that we will follow her example of a life well lived with strength, courage, great love and faith.
Gloria, we celebrate your life, and we thank you for sharing that life with us. And most of all, we thank you Creator for giving her to us during her earthly life.
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Elizabeth Jane Gutzwiller
May, 2007
Prelude
Say not in grief "she is no more",
But live in thankfulness that she was.
Hebrew Proverb
Ingathering Words
Good Evening.
We are here this evening to mourn the passing of Jane and this is how it should be. Such a dear soul should be missed, and there should be sorrow in what we perceive to be a loss, but Jane is not really lost to us, just her physical body. Jane's spirit will live forever and always be near her loved ones.
In our mourning, let's not forget to Celebrate her life, a life well lived. In all that Jane did in her life, she did with great love, as evidenced by all of you who have come to say goodbye and pay your last respects.
Jane made a difference in people's lives. She was always ready to volunteer to help others, not by doing for them but by empowering them to do for themselves, allowing them to keep their dignity and their freedom. This is the type of work she volunteered to do for DAWN, the Disabled Advocates Working for Northwest.
She is an advocate of women's rights, and was a member and co-coordinator of NOW, The National Organization for Women. Morris County Chapter.
Jane did not sit back and wait for others to make changes, she stood up and was counted.
Jane is a physically beautiful woman who understood the importance of being beautiful on the inside; and in this she succeeded.
Jane is a Mother, a Dear Friend, a Career Woman, a Volunteer, a giving, loving caring soul and we are all better for having known her.
Let us rejoice that Jane is now free and no longer confined by a failing body.
Let us rejoice that Jane has gone home and will be there to greet us when our turn comes.
Let us rejoice that Jane is now free from pain and illness.
Let us rejoice that Jane is with the Angels who will comfort her, and help her find her way in her new home.
Let us rejoice that Jane is surrounded by her loved ones that have gone before….a blessed reunion.
I am reminded of a conversation with my Grandfather when he was in his upper eighties. In the early part of the 20th century, life insurance was not commonplace and the Italian custom was to have what they called a “boost”. Instead of flowers, people donated money to help defray the cost of the funeral expenses.
One afternoon my Grandfather said to me “you know, Susan, when Sistooch died, I went to his funeral and gave to the boost. When Paulo died, I went to his funeral and gave to the boost. I did this for all my friends and family. The thing that worries me, is that there is no one left to give to my “boost”.
When there is not one of his contemporaries left to give to the “boost”, you can be sure that person lived the “Full Measure of his life”
When there are still so many of contemporaries as with Jane and is evidenced by the turnout her tonight; it is then that we wonder if this person has “Lived the Full Measure of their Life”. Make no mistake; each of us is here long enough to do what we came here to do.
Granted Jane was still young, and it seems that she should have spent more time here with us, but Jane did what she came her to do, she made a difference in all the lives she touched and this is her legacy; the love she left in her wake. Our creator has told us “to everything there is a season”. Jane's Season may have been shorter than some and longer than others, but it was her Season and “What a Season It Was”.
We won't forget Jane, but more importantly, let us not forget her legacy as a lesson to each of us.
