Funeral Rites

I, like most people,
Had no experience
With staging a funeral,
And had no idea
How someone is supposed to
Go about such a thing.
I just did what seemed
To be appropriate.

People were obviously
At a loss
As to what to do or say,
As they struggled
To express
Their condolences
And share my daughters’
And my grief.

My wife’s funeral could have been
A depressing thing,
But that would not have been
Fitting for who she was,
Or the way she lived her life.
I wanted an appropriate tribute
To our seventeen years of marriage
And the life we lived together.

I saw the funeral as an opportunity
For people to acknowledge
The extraordinary life Cecilia lived.
I decided to call on
One person from each area of her life,
To allow them to pay tribute,
To recall the woman they knew,
To reveal the side of her they saw.

Professionally,
Cecilia was a registered nurse.
One of her former coworkers
Got the privilege
Of honoring her as a nurse,
Recalling her superb skill,
Her commitment to teamwork,
And her dedication to patient care.

There was a personal friend
And member of her Toastmaster Club
Who noted the power of her words,
The quality and emotional impact
Of her many speeches,
As well as her incredible sense of humor.
Life with me was the source of
Many of her humorous speeches.

Her Karate instructor
Told of her fighting spirit,
How she had been a leader
In introducing women
To the art of self-defense,
And how she had fought
As long as she could to continue Karate
After she became sick.

There was the doctor
Who had cared for her
Through years of radiation.
He was inspired by her
Courageous fight to live.
He personally witnessed
Her will and determination
Not to let the cancer get her down.

Next was Becky,
Our oldest daughter
Who had just turned sixteen.
She made me proud.
She acknowledged Cecilia
As an awesome mother,
And told what it was like
To be her daughter.

Then it was my turn
To comment on the woman
Who had been my wife
For all those years,
I acknowledged her strength,
Her character,
The principles she lived by,
And the love she gave.

Each of us saw her in a different way,
But what was generated
Was the portrait of a life lived well,
A person who appeared
Almost larger than life.
Each person that shared
Was honored by the privilege
Of being able to pay tribute.

The reception afterwards
Was a major feast,
An Irish wake
For a Filipina Princess.
There was so much extra food
That Food Share was called in
To distribute the excess to the poor,
A final credit to the woman she was.