In Memory of

Rachel wept as she laid her hand on the closed coffin. Everyone had left the funeral hours ago, but she felt compelled to mourn over her brother’s body. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see the priest.

“Remember, Rachel, Ron will live on in heaven. You will see him again someday.”

“Even so, his death weighs heavily upon his passing. I will miss his company. We spoke almost everyday on the phone.” Rachel wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath. “I want to do something to mourn his departure-something that will stir up the minds of all his acquaintances and friends to remind people how special he was.”

“I would love to help you. Ron was a friend to almost everybody.”

“You are most welcome, Priest Herman. Do you have any ideas?”

“To start with, we could hold a candlelit vigil along Prince Boulevard.”

Rachel nodded. “Such a procession would be a start. But I want to do even more-something special that has never been done.”

Priest Herman smiled. “I will make the announcement tomorrow at service for the vigil. In the meantime, I will try to think of something genuine and unique.”

Rachel smiled and embraced the priest. “Until tomorrow, good priest.” Rachel walked out of the cathedral, got into her car and drove home.



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The next morning, when the congregation was all seated, Herman looked down and thought of how to address the crowd of people. “My dear flock. All our hearts break at the passing of Ron Smith. In his memory, I am organizing a candlelight procession along Prince Boulevard starting at 7 pm. At the end of service, I will distribute the candles to you all. And in memory of Ron, I have chosen to preach on the latter part of the Gospel of John.”

Priest Herman spoke about the occurrences following Jesus’ crucifixion about Christ’s burial and resurrection and made parallel the new life after his death and the passing of Ron.

After service, when Herman had given out the candles, the congregation left and Rachel herself waited for 7 pm to come as she laid on her bed. She drifted off to sleep and woke up at 6:34. She hopped out of bed and walked through her house then entered her garage.

Once inside her car, she put on the song “If I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me. The song spoke of the wonders of heaven and living with God Himself. She cried tears of joy as she was reminded that Ron was in a much better place.

When she had driven for about seven minutes, she saw that people were already gathered at the cathedral holding unlit candles. She stopped in a parking spot and grabbed her candle and approached the throng of people. They gazed at her with smiles and some even patted her on the back.

Priest Herman neared Rachel. “The Lord spoke to me last night in a dream. He gave me a song to sing for Ron. It must have come from God because as soon as I woke up, I was able to write the whole thing on paper.” The priest gave her a piece of paper and she began reading it.

She clutched her heart, tilted her head and smiled as she read. “It’s beautiful. Will the choir be singing it?”

“Yes, it will be a special commencement that will happen next Sunday.”

The remaining people came and at 7 pm, all the candles were lit and the throng walked on the entire boulevard, filling up the streets that had been cleared for the procession. Some people even cried.

The solemn assembly continued until they reached the end of the route. Then everyone dispersed and went to their homes.

Only Rachel and Herman remained at the cathedral.

“Thank you, my friend,” said Rachel. “I am sure Ron would have been very humbled to have all this done.”

“He certainly, deserved it. It’s getting late. We should both be going home. Goodnight, Rachel.”

The woman nodded and drove home in her car. When she arrived, she got on her pajamas and kneeled in front of her bed. “Oh, Lord, would you please tell my brother love him and that I yearn to see him again. Amen.”

That night, she dreamed of her brother, Ron. He wore a gleaming white gown, and he had sparkling eyes. “Hello, sister. I appreciate your gestures for my sake. I cannot wait until you behold the things of heaven and to live in the very presence and glory of God. It was my time to go. And remember all things work for good for those who follow God. Until we meet again my sister.”

Rachal sought to reach out and touch Ron as the dream faded into a bright light.

She awoke with her arms outstretched. She sat up and got out of bed. “See you soon,” she said.

The week went by quickly and was uneventful and soon Sunday morning came and the congregation filled the cathedral.

“My dear friends, to further honor Ron Smith, the choir will sing a song the Lord gave me to remember his good character and love for everyone.” Priest Herman nodded to the choir dressed in black robes.

The song began and Rachel was even more amazed because even the tune was pronounced. The melody was enchanting and the whole room was filled with stillness and an uncanny joy resonated in Rachel’s heart. She swayed back and forth as she took in the euphoria. The song lasted for about seven minutes. At the end the audience stood and cheered.

When all were seated, Herman addressed the crowd “Let this day, the 7th of January, be the official day to pay respects to Ron Smith.”

Everyone cheered and Rachel clutched her heart with both hands. Surely, Ron would always be remembered.