Joan Coleman 1918-2012
Joan, who was a long term parishioner, friend, mother and grandmother lived for over 60 years in this parish
There are a lot of things
To say about people at a funeral
Much we could and have said about Joan
One thing I do know about Joan
Is that she was profoundly faithful
Deeply in love
In so many ways
And capable of persistence
And endurance
As a person
As a wife
As a mother and grandmother
As a Christian
.....that is a pretty impressive life.
You would not look at her
In the last few years
And easily see any of that
Thank God
That most of us will have much better memories of her than that
In the Christian tradition
We Believe that God continues
To sustain and uphold
Each one of us after we die
As he has in this life, so the next
Quite how that happens, and what it means
Joan knows today and we have yet to find out
I have had a strong sense of Joan's continuing life
Since she died
I have faith that she is close to God
One really important thing I know about Joan
Is that she was a good pray-ER
A priest looks for such people in the parish
Remember that about her
That she has prayed vigorously for you and me
Whether we believe or not
She prayed for us.
Remember also that the Christian tradition has it
That the saints, and I count Joan amongst their number,
Continue to pray after death.
They of course are still alive in God
Indeed we might say they are close to God
So in a sense this could be her most productive time yet.
Do not hesitate to ask your mother, grandmother, friend
To pray with you.
She was good at it
And she is now closer to God...which is saying something
May Joan not so much rest in peace
But enjoy this eternal nearness to God
Which all her life she has longed for
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