Saturday, July 3rd, we woke up to the most beautiful day. The sun was shining and continued to shine throughout the day, with a slight cool comforting breeze. Of course we were anxious, and so very sad, because we knew what we was ahead of us and we had no idea how the day would play out. We arrived at the funeral home a few hours before the 1pm service to spend some time together with our family. As the time drew near for the service to begin, we were overwhelmed by the large crowd of family and friends who came to share our sorrow. We know that attending any funeral is sad and difficult, but that of someone as young as Paige is even worse. We were so touched to see all of you there.
While people were being seated, the soothing sounds of classical music played by harpist, Julie Hussar, filled the room. For those of you who didn't know, there's a story behind this. During Paige's four-week stay in Ann Arbor for her stem cell transplant, we met Julie through the Music Arts Program. She would come around a few times a week with two harps in hand, one for her and one for Paige to play. She is amazingly talented and can play anything. I have to laugh when I remember the first time she came into our room. Paige requested that Julie "wash her hands" and also clean the small harp with alcohol pads. Then in early June we took Paige to the Flushing Art Fair and had an opportunity to hear her play again. It turned out that she also lived in the town where I grew up. It was then that she learned that Paige had started hospice care and of course was very sad like the rest of us. Listening to her that day, Andy and I knew that having her play at the funeral would be perfect.
Right before the service she played Winnie-the-Pooh, Jesus Loves Me, and When You Wish Upon a Star, the theme song from Disney. Pastor Jack McMaster, from Faith Baptist Church in Linden, whose presence was very soothing and comforting to us, started with a nice prayer, which was followed by 'You Are My Sunshine' on the harp. A short scripture reading and homily helped us to understand Paiges' transition into heaven, and the sound of 'Amazing Grace' from Julie's harp touched us all. Our dear friend, Melanie, graciously read the eulogy consisting of our thoughts and feelings for Paige and of our thanks to all who helped us through this most difficult time. This was followed by a song titled a "Glimpse of Heaven," written by a mother about her daughter. What made it so special is that it was personalized with Paige's name throughout the lullaby. After the service we proceeded with Pastor and our friends and family to the gravesite where after a short prayer we released pink and white balloons towards heaven.
The day after the funeral Andy and I waited for a break in the weather and decided to take a drive out to the cemetery by ourselves. What a mix of emotions as we drove down the expressway. It was a silent drive because we didn't need to say anything to each other; we both knew how the other was feeling. It was then that Andy pointed out the most brilliant rainbow I had ever seen. That moment we both looked and smiled at each other, wondering if it could be a sign from Paige that everything was OK. |
