Big Bulky Anglican is laid to rest

Just back from Tom Allen’s funeral (aka Big Bulky Anglican to you bloggers out there). Tom, like most clergy, had a little black book of funeral liturgies, poems, prayers etc and it was Tom’s own funeral that we heard today. although I’m sure Fr Pip added his own wee touches here and there. Bishop David gave a wonderful homily which gave those of us who had never met Tom a real taste of the man who was Big Bulky Anglican.

One of Tom’s favourite songs was Hill of Angels by Steve Butler. What a joy to have Steve play it live. (You can find it on Sticky Music’s website on the CD Love Come Down and others.)

Lots of clergy there and many, many bishops too. In fact, it was black and purple as far as the eye could see. With splash of joyful colour from the family.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Bigbulkyanglican RIP

Sad news for the blogging community today when we read that Tom Allen (aka Bigbulkyanglican) has died. Tom recently moved to Linlithgow when he took up the post of Chaplain to the Mission to Seafarers. He was a lovely man – passionate and kind.

Prayers ascending for his family and friends. The Bloggers salute him.

A question of death

In Church we keep registers of baptisms, marriages and deaths. It occurred to me today that they don’t really ask the right questions.

For example, in the Burial Register (which includes Cremation now) they don’t ask for the date of death (or birth for that matter). All they require is the date you fill it in and the date of the Burial or Cremation. So when it comes to your Book of Remembrance for your Years Mind you can’t back check whether the dates are correct or not.

In St Mark’s we have two Books of Remembrance – one on the Requiem Altar and a little one that I keep at home for the pew sheets. There have been a few discrepancies noted and we don’t know which dates are correct. So it may be that our Years Mind is actually the date of the ceremony rather than the actual death.

It also means that we can’t put the details on the internet for those interested in doing family trees because we don’t have the info needed.

Personally, I always write the dates in any space I can find.

Lou, RIP

Friday was a sad day. A friend’s aunt died suddenly at home just a week after undergoing major heart surgery. It was a shock to them all, coming as it did after spirits were raised in hope.

What an honour for me to be with the family at their time of grief. And what a joy to be able to sit with them and listen once more to the stories of a remarkable woman’s life. And what a life! Although Lou and Fin had no children of their own, there are countless ‘children’ of theirs scattered throughout the globe. Many will mourn the loss of this kind and generous soul.

Eileen RIP

She was warm-hearted and generous to a fault.
She attracted lame ducks and cared for them to the detriment of her relationships with others.
She was beautiful although she didn’t know it.
She was beautiful within and without.

She was only 46 when she died yesterday.
She was my cousin.

Tom Muirhead RIP

On Sunday 14 January Tom Muirhead died peacefully. Tom was one of the great leading lights in the life of St Mark’s, so much so that the new room downstairs in church was called the Muirhead Room after him. He was responsible for the Property for many years, especially when the hall was sold and Tom oversaw the refurbishment of the church.

Tom has been ill for the last couple of years and I have enjoyed hearing his stories and memories of St Mark’s when I took him Home Communion. And what an hounour to be with his wife Helen as we sat at his bedside as we handed him into the safe arms of his God.

A truly great man and a great loss to his wife and St Mark’s. Rest eternal, grant unto him, O Lord. And let light perpetual shine upon him.

On death

Yesterday my sister and I, along with a son each, went out to visit mum’s grave. I took a mini Christmas tree to plant and sis took a home-made wreath in purple – and gorgeous it was too. It was pretty in Penicuik but the sun was shining and the view of the Pentlands was glorious. We spent a while telling the boys stories of olden days.

This will be our first Christmas without mum. She always came to stay on Christmas eve with me and could be relied on to get up early on Christmas day to write down all the presents for our thank-you letters. It won’t be the same without her and if you don’t get a thank you letter you’ll know why, but I’ll do my best.

The best job in the world

Who else gets to sit and listen to a family tell the story of their loved one? AND gets to ask questions about all aspects of their life? AND nobody calls you nosy or interfering. It’s great.

I love funerals.

Dead funny

I do love a good funeral story so was delighted to come across this…

Susie Webster-Toleno of Westminster West, Vermont writes about a conversation with her five-year-old son. “We were driving past a local church, where the parking lot was overflowing in the middle of the weekday afternoon.
“Mommy,” he asked. “Why are all the cars there today?”
“They are probably having a funeral – or perhaps a memorial service.”
“What’s a memorial service?”
“It’s like a funeral, but the casket’s not right there in the room with the mourners.”
“You mean, the dead guy’s just lyin’ there on the floor?!”

“From Ralph Milton’s RUMORS, a free Internet ‘e-zine’ for Christians with a sense of humor.”

Burial blues

Graveside burial yesterday amidst driving torrential rain and gales to boot. The family had asked me to keep it brief which was tricky. How do you make it short and meaningful? But at the same time you don’t want to be the cause of several elderly folk getting pneumonia.

You know, we clergy sometimes do funerals and nobody speaks to you afterwards. Not a peep. Sometimes we get a ‘thank you’ or ‘that was very meaningful’ or ‘that was true what you said about so-and-so’. But often we just get nothing. Yesterday was one of those cases. Actually, that is not strictly true. Three women came up to me to say they loved my cloak! And boy was I glad I had it on. Thank you J&M for my gorgeous full length wool cloak with purple lining and hood. Scottish Widow eat your heart out.

And thank you to the person who once taught me to get a wee poly-pocket folder to put the funeral words in. It kept them all dry and legible if I kept sweeping off the rain every now and again.

Of course the rain stopped as we reached the gates on the way out. And there was a magnificant rainbow. Wonderful!