Good Morning, I welcome you this morning as we honor the life of Cathy Glendenning . She has touched your life in a special way. She was your family and friend, someone you have spent a lifetime loving. Someone you watched growing up. You will always remember her and she will always be in your heart. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, "I shall but love thee even more after death". Your love for Cathy will grow when you think of her and you will continue to learn things about yourself that you may not know even now. This morning we are here to remind ourselves that the physical body is temporary, but that the Spirit is eternal and lives on forever. We are here to remember the words of Scripture, "that the flesh cannot inherit the greater life". We read from Psalms 139: "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy Presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there and if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, then even the night shall be light for me. Yea, the darkness hideth me not from thee, but the night shines as the day, the darkness and the light become as one." Let us say the Lord's Prayer together: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallow be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that have trespassed against us. And lead not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen It is always difficult to lose a loved one. One moment they are here and the next they are gone. It is especially difficult if they have suffered due to illness. We are left empty and hurting. The grief process has begun. Life brings with it many mysteries and we cannot begin to understand all of them. When someone we love leaves us, we experience mixed emotions and have unanswered questions. The grief process has a life of its own. I encourage you to allow yourself to feel your emotions and accept the lessons that you will learn from these emotions. Your grief is an appropriate reaction to loss. Your tears are healing. We can never be separated from God. God is all there is and God is all around us and within us. God is the beginning and the end. Life cannot die. God is life and Life is eternal. Our Spirit lives forever. We learn many lessons from nature. A seed sprouts, it shoots forth, it blossoms and then it returns to the soil to grow again. It does not die, it changes form. A leaf changes colors in the autumn and drops from the tree, but in the spring we see new leaves. Nature has cycles. Our life does as well. A butterfly changes from a cocoon to a beautiful winged creature. It is able to fly and go beyond the earth that it began on. It changes but is not taken away. Life is in perpetual motion and there is constant change. Through nature we have hope for new beginnings. After the rain is a rainbow. And so it when we grieve, in time, we will be able to remember our loved one without the hurt of the loss. We know that death itself is a lesson in life and that Life includes death as a time to move into the greater kingdom of Heaven. A time to leave the human life and to go beyond. When we are born into this world we are met with loving hands and so it is when we enter into the larger life, there too we are met with loving hands of those that have gone before us. Within us there is a Spirit that is invincible and eternal. We are made in the image and likeness of God. We have within us the qualities of God. We have the qualities of love and kindness. Even in times of sorrow we can remember that God is Eternal and Immortal and that our life in within the life of God. Let us remember Cathy by adopting her loving and gracious ways. Let us emanate the goodness that is reflected in our Soul and is a Gift from God. The physical body is but a garment we wear. When the body is worn, the Spirit will free itself. When the life within has reached a point where it no longer needs the body, it moves on. It freed, as the eagle is freed to soar and return to the Father's house naked and unafraid. By coming together this morning we had the opportunity to remember and honor the life of your loved one. Now we lovingly bid farewell to Cathy as we know she is resting in peace. Let us Pray: Dear God hear our prayer. We ask for your blessings upon us here this morning. We ask that your guidance and protection be with all of us, always. We ask that you remind us often that we are never forgotten nor will we ever be forsaken. We ask that you continue to give us strength to go so that we are able to live our lives according to thy Will. Allow us the opportunities to continue to remember our loved one and to give of your wisdom, your love and your light in memory of her. Thank you for guiding us on the road that leads us into your Eternal Kingdom. Help us to choose our thoughts, words and actions wisely so that we may live in your Grace, always and forever. Amen.