Celebration of Life
October 10, 1930 – March 8, 2020
Words of Welcome and Grace
Welcome, family and friends of Rebecca Brown. My name is Juli and it is an honor to be with you today as we celebrate the life of a remarkable woman. A woman who had an impact on each one of us here today, whose love was felt deeply, honestly and will forever be missed.
Born in Glasgow Scotland, Rebecca made her way here to Canada after the Second World War. Here she met her husband Francis Campbell Brown. They married and lived on a farm in Milton, later moving to Stouffville and then settling on a farm in Uxbridge, where they raised their four children, Heather, Pauline, Campbell and Kevin. Family was everything to Rebecca. She always made sure you felt welcome whether it was a planned visit or just a drop in. She had a knack for making you feel special and she always gave her undivided attention – even amidst her Scottish music and British TV programs – she always had time for company.
In Scottish traditions, when a loved one parts from this world it is a cause for a celebration of a life well lived. Some find this appalling or inappropriate because we are meant to mourn those who leave us…it’s a time of sadness. However, when we step back and look at the bigger picture, we realize that life is only a temporary gift and it needs to be appreciated…to be celebrated. All of our yesterdays have led us here, to this moment in time. And each milestone and memory, each day that we live sculpts who we are. You see, memories are history in the making. They are the most important thing we take with us when we leave this world and the most important thing we leave behind. I believe that Rebecca knew that she was creating her legacy each and every day that she walked this earth. And she wove her legacy and her love through each of you…leaving you with the most precious gift… memories.
Opening Prayer
Lord,
You have lit the day with the sun’s light and the midnight with shining stars. Lighten our hearts today as we celebrate the life of Rebecca Brown. We ask that you surround her family and friends with the warmth of Your comfort and the strength of Your love. We are thankful that Rebecca lived, that she loved us, supported us, cared for us and blessed us with her steady and reliable presence. We ask that her memory and her legacy be carried out in each of us, that we may honor her life and her work just as she honored ours. And we ask that her soul rests in eternal peace in your loving care. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Beyond the Clouds – Pauline
Personal Reflections
It was once said that “the universe is made of stories, not atoms.” Our stories of Rebecca, are the atoms of her life now. In telling the stories of Rebecca’s life, we hold her in the universe of our hearts. At this time I would like to share Lindsay’s thoughts with all of you:
What we will remember and miss most about one of our best friends and biggest supporter is the way she made you feel, she loved her family more than anything and it was evident in everything she did from making sure the cupboards were always full of everyone favourites just waiting for you to arrive, anticipating our daily phone calls as kids excited to hear about our day, she had this amazing way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the world when you were talking to her. If you were struggling with something or didn’t know what to do she always knew exactly the right words to push you just a little bit further than you thought possible and was right there to celebrate every single achievement and when things didn’t go quite as planned she was right there with a warm hug and baking or your favourite meal to show you how much she cared. She loved family dinners and she poured a whole lot of love into every one, inevitably there was always a fight over the last scoop of stew, slice of soda bread or who got to take home the California vegetable. She lived to have everyone all together around the table enjoying her cooking and making memories together. I am so excited that we made a family cookbook that we can share her handwritten recipes for generations to come. For as much as she loved cooking she equally hated cleaning which we liked to razz her about from time to time.
There was nothing we loved more as kids than going over to Gran and Poppa’s for a sleep-over on the weekend, it was our second home and where we found our first best friends in all of our cousins. Now that we have grown up a little we truly appreciate the bond she had with each of us. When we moved away be it for school or for a job or to spread our wings and take on a new adventure she would remind us of the adventure she took that lead her here to Canada and if she could do that than we could definitely take on our move. She reminded us that distance would never change the bond we had recreated… you would just get added to the Sunday call list.
Some people go to church on Sunday but we called our best friend! We called family far away on Sundays and for Lindz and Cody, who are we kidding pretty much every other day of the week as well. But Sundays were special if you timed it right you were between a phone call from Cody, Uncle Kevin, Lindz or Scotland and got to hear all about them as well. She was just so proud of everyone and their accomplishments big or small. She was the first person on a plane to visit Uncle Kevin in Edmonton, or Lindz in Regina or your first home or university dorm room and the joy in her face each time as we told her the family was expanding, there was always a flurry of knitting needles. Her grandkids were something special but the relationship she created with her great grandchildren was something incredible, she cherished every visit.
Her greatest gifts were her time and love, and if you were lucky enough to share yours with her she gave it back to you in infinite measure.
“Family, Today’s little moments become tomorrow’s precious memories” I feel so very blessed and grateful for the incredible memories we made together.
Until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Thank you Lindz for your reflection. If you are so moved, I invite you to come forward and share a brief story that exemplifies who Rebecca was to you, and the gifts that she brought to your life…
*guests may speak if they wish* moment of quiet reflection
It is to each of us that the living memories of Rebecca’s life are committed. To our hearts and minds, and we each as the keepers of these very memories now possess the greatest gift that one person can give another. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your memories with us today, and know that these memories are sacred and will be held dear to our hearts, forever.
A Metaphor for Life
I was told that Rebecca was a knitter. That she was known to always be clicking her knitting needles together making a treasure for someone special. I’ve heard that almost everyone here has a hand-made-knit-something from her…especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
It’s often been said that there are ‘those who knit and those who unravel.’ Rebecca was the former. She knew how to create something new, repeat a pattern, perfect it as she went, change it as needed and she knew how to finish what she started. Like any creative process, knitting not only requires one to learn and repeat basic skills, but also to explore variations on the stitches.
I think Rebecca knew that much like life, you have to stay focused on the bigger picture. You are building something. You can’t always get caught up in the minutiae. The larger picture is a quality – it is a shape that holds. It’s easy to lose yourself in the stitches…you have to believe in what you are building…even before it has really taken shape. It takes care, a gentle hand and patience. Knitting is much like faith.
A wise woman named Bernadette Murphy once said “Knitting tells me that I have faith in tomorrow. That we are all joined together. That each stitch is vital to hold the garment together, just as each person is vital to this world.”
Each of you, are one of Rebecca’s stitches in the garment of life. You felt her presence and friendship as she nurtured each of you as an individual stitch. You felt her love and connection as she stitched you as a family. All these years, she has been weaving you, focused on the bigger picture as she knit your family together as one. She believed in the shape of your family and gifted you with each other in meaningful and special ways knowing that one day, you would need the comfort of each other when all that would be left of her were her stitches.
Rebecca’s knitting is your inheritance. The items that she left you will have a second life and maybe even a third. Her work remains a blessing here even though she is no longer with us. For generations, her stitches can be of comfort, warmth and love just as her arms were comfort, warmth and love for you.
Lean into the warmth and comfort of one another now. Lean into Rebecca’s stitches…she wove them for you, prepared them for you and in my heart of hearts I know, that nothing would make her happier than to see all of you finding comfort in her life’s work…your family.
Benediction
We are glad that Rebecca lived and loved with us. We cherish the memories that she has stitched into our hearts forever. Let us now go from this place in comfort and peace, assured that even in this time of loss and sorrow that life remains precious and good. May we also on this day rekindle in our hearts an appreciation for the gift of life, family and love.
Facing Rebecca:
To God and the Angels, we place Rebecca Brown. We trust she is safe and free to fly. We bless you Rebecca and thank you for being a part of our lives. We honor your life on earth and we wish for your peace ever-after. We will not forget you. Go well.
Facing the family:
Let us honor Rebecca by living more freely and lovingly in the days ahead as we remember her beautiful Spirit. And so, I leave you with a final blessing in hopes that you think of her and know that she is with you:
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
May the rain fall softly upon your fields until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
Amen.