Funeral Speech
To be read by Brenda Joehl (Mrs. Gilbert) if she’s still in the area. If not, other possibilities are Patty (Mrs. Jack) Clinton.
My friends, Sorry, but you knew I’d insist on writing at least a part of today’s script. If you have enough time and energy to mourn today, then could I please just ask for a part of that time and will power to praise God for few things on my behalf? Please take time with me today to thank God for the things I have enjoyed most … the sight of a young girl or boy performing their first speech for a live audience and the sudden realization that, “Wow! I am somebody!” …. … the joy of family. Perhaps some are with you here today. Praise God for them as they have been such a joy of mine, both those who are blood relation and those who are simply brothers and sisters in Christ. … for those of you who’ve experienced it, please Praise God for Opening Night, and the thrill which always surrounds it. Your Opening Night may be the birth of a child or the first day of a new job or the first day of marriage. Mine have been in the theatre but I imagine it’s all the same and I know that all have the same author. Praise God for Opening Night. … praise God for hugs. I have lived on them for days. …. Praise God for your freedom … Praise Him for my greatest joy.. the simple things.. the sunsets and the rain, the rainbow of seasons, the feel of cool grass beneath your feet. You may have to take your shoes off to praise Him properly for this, but who’s looking? . . . Praise Him for friends who will take joy in your joy . . . Praise Him for His salvation. No matter how long my life will be, everything important was accomplished the day I saw my nephews Doug and David at the Green Pastures altar giving their lives to Christ. Praise Him that He loves us enough to give us such moments while we are living. . . . Praise Him for letting us grow. My favorite song and my favorite play have always been “the next one.” . . . Praise Him for music. I can’t imagine a faith without it. . . . Praise Him for giving us the gift of all the arts: the music, the dance, the theatre, the painting, the speech, the mime, the dandelion. Each a little portrait of what God must be like. …. Praise Him for the smell of coffee and the sight of a blank computer screen …. Praise Him for the stillness of 5 in the morning …. For the joy of small-town living, the feel of a good book in your hands, the giggles of little girls peddling their bikes down your street, for the smell of stage makeup, the sound of an audience’s first response to scene one, the explosive potential of an audition, and the silence in the parking lot after a show where it’s just you and God and the night.
… Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow Praise Him all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.