Welcome. My name is Glenda Stansbury and, on behalf of B Funeral Home, I’m honored and humbled to be the Funeral Celebrant for our time together today, celebrating the life and mourning the death of KT. Each person in this room comes with a numb mind and unbelieving heart that we are gathered here, on a beautiful Saturday to do this. Not KT. Not this happy, healthy, beautiful and talented girl. Not now. She should be shopping or hanging out with her friends. We should not be here.
But, gather we must, because that’s what people do. Throughout the history of the world, it is an innate need to stop, to acknowledge, to make the world slow down for a few minutes, to carve out a sacred space so we can remember, reflect and revel in the stories and begin that slow journey on the path of grief. Thank you for being here for these most important moments.
We are here for KT’s family. . . Everyone in this room promises to be a wall of strength and safety when you need a place to cry, to rage, to tell stories or just to sit quietly with your thoughts. Each person here pledges not to ask how or why, but what—what do you need, what can I do, what will help you today?
It is human nature to want to have answers to all the questions. But, sometimes life teaches us that the only thing we can do is stare into the unknown abyss and find peace in memories rather than resolutions. Google has no answers, there are no apps for that. All we can say is that a life is not judged by the length or the final page in the chapter. A life is significant because of all the people she touched, changed, inspired and loved, no matter how long or short the journey.
Today is KT’s day. We’ll share some stories, we’ll laugh and cry, we’ll find ways to open up broken hearts so that the memories can begin to find a place, settle in, and never leave.
We’ll hear from her teachers and her best friends who loved her, see snapshots of a life lived big and out loud, and then accompany this sweet girl on her final journey as we lay her to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery.
When someone so young is gone way too soon and in such a tragic way, it is even more imperative that you stop to catch your breath, to focus on the amazing life that was lived in such a short time and to find a new perspective in how KT will be remembered. Her dying was shattering, her living was incredible. So let’s begin with a moment of silence and lighting a candle for KT. May the warmth of the glow guide us in our sacred time together. . . .