Celebrating Hildur

Rory, Ivar and I drove to St. Peter today for Hildur's memorial service. You know what is great about a memorial service for a 103-year-old? It's a lot more of a celebration of life than of sad day of grief. For a life lived as fully as Hildur's, there just isn't a whole lot to be sad about. She had a full, rich, and friend-filled 103 years and served God with joy and gladness all of her days. Her funeral was a celebration of faith and faithful friends.

There were a lot of people at her funeral which spoke clearly of how well she kept up friendships even into her 103rd year. Her sister Lois spoke and beautifully thanked every person who had loved and cared for Hildur. Hildur lived independently in her own home even up to her very last days, and though she was well and able, there was an army behind the scenes helping her to live independently. Friends who stocked her freezer with meals, friends who helped her get to appointments, others who faithfully drove her to church... And Lois named each person by name and gave them their earned praise. It was so cool to have the focus of the funeral turned on the congregation gathered. It made sense because we were gathered because of a shared love for Hildur, but it felt so inviting to hear other people's names and how we all served our friend in different ways.

Lois said that when Hildur was asked the secret for such a long and vibrant live she would answer with a list of things, but the first secret was her love for people. That was obvious today.