UPDATED: A friend sent me a few photos from today's service. set out below are a shot of the church interior before any one had arrived and a photo of Senior Pastor Goeres who was wonderful both during the service and the panning sessions I had with him.
The memorial service today for my late mother seems to have gone of well and, despite some teary moments I got through the eulogy I had prepared. The boyfriend also spoke and became teary towards the end of his beautiful "thank you letter" to my mother. My children attended (the photo below was taken at the reception) and it was wonderful having them with me for support. The boyfriend's parents attended, as did several of his clients with whom I have become close friends. HRBOR was well represented and some members of the Ghent business community attended too, as did the Lutheran bishop's staff. An added surprise was the presence of friends of over 25 years from my old neighborhood in Virginia Beach.*
The church setting was beautiful (an exterior shot is above) and Pastor Goeres was wonderful. As I have noted before, if there are members of the LGBT community in the Ghent area who would like a spiritual home, I cannot recommended First Lutheran enough. For what at first glance gives the impression of being a very formal and traditional parish because of the church structure itself, the pastor and staff and parishioners "get it" and realize that all of us, gay and straight, are part of God's family
*The reception after the service likewise went well and the boyfriend - a/k/a Martha Stewart - had the food and beverages well organized and under control. A special thanks goes out to my friend Kenny who helped set everything up.
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I want to say a sincere "Thank You" to all who attended and helped me make it through this difficult time, especially my children who I love so much.
3 comments:
What a fitting tribute to your mother! Hooray for your kids, Barry, the pastor, the community and YOU! Thanks for sharing a difficult, but uplifting, experience! God bless!
My condolences again to you, your children and your boyfriend for your loss. And if I may say, you have a extremely good-looking family! It must have been very heart-warming for you to have them with you at this difficult time.
Great picture of your family. It was an honor to celebrate your mother's life with you and your loved ones! Carl
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