Celebrating Margaret
Ring your chimes, dear Margaret, sound the drum,
The blessed time for us has come.
To celebrate you, in all your glory,
Your gifts, your work, your wonderful story.
We come here, too, to ease our grief,
To find some comfort and reaffirm our belief
In the life that lives on and has no end,
Through the love for a mother, a sister, a friend.
A quick look at those gathered, surely you’ll see,
The roots and the blossom of a true legacy.
With style and flair, with gusto and zest,
You – the giver, the leader, a high priestess.
In public or private, in ways big and small,
No doubt you enriched the lives of us all.
Each in our own particular way,
Came to thank you for the difference you made.
I hear you complain of the picture I paint,
Worried I render you some kind of saint.
No worries there, you’re a schemer – Grade A,
Smuggling tequila from the US of A.
You were among the most cunning of lasses,
In your Bohemian scarves and your stylin’ sunglasses.
Armed with sass and pizzazz and gumption galore,
Just more about you we’ve come to adore.
The ultimate go-getter, with a plan up your sleeve,
The Tobinator strikes before taking her leave.
The truth is, dear Margaret, and we’re all of one mind,
In innumerable ways, you were one of a kind.
Smart as a whip, with a heart of pure gold,
So many great stories of you to be told!
So fluff up those wings, pull up heavenly chair,
Be with us now as we gather to share
With tributes, pictures, and plenty of song,
the memories we’ll cherish and treasure life-long.
It’s all as you wished, to your heart’s desire,
Your people are gathered, as is your choir.
So clap your hands, set those toes a tappin’,
As if you’d miss your own party, not likely to happen.
Ya, ya, ya, funeral sandwiches so fine,
Margaritas prepared along with red and white wine!
And now, in the way you’d approve, we turn our attention,
to the gift of our presence and our deepest intention.
To the Great Spirit, we light a candle to say,
“Please bless this occasion, make sacred our way.
Hold us in love, make holy this place,
Imbue us with Courage, with Joy, and with Grace.”
So let us begin, in a form you know well,
With the sound of “Abeyo” which legend will tell,
You used every Sunday with the choir for years,
the chant that will beckon and welcome us here.
Denise Bissonnette, January 11th, 2015
