Tonight, Friday, I expressed my grief during a contemplative “stations of the cross.” As part of the congregation here I followed the footsteps of Christ through his torturous last days and moments. It is fitting Marcia’s funeral is on this Saturday. Holy Saturday for Christians is a day of waiting, mourning, resting, comforting one another, sharing our confusion and sense of despair. After his death, Jesus’ disciples did not know what was happening. They did not know there would be a resurrection. In our loss, in our Holy Saturday with Marcia and each other, we have only one thing Jesus’ disciples did not have. We know there will be an Easter! We know that death, pain, and violence do not have the final words! We can have faith in the power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and active in us and in the world. Marcia is one with that power now. Her spirit encourages, uplifts, and corrects us.
Not only will Christmas at the Home Place in North Carolina not be be same without Marcia’s physical presence, but now Passion Week and Easter gain an added layer of meaning for my life.
In closing, as I cannot be there for the ceremony, I want to show my love by helping fulfill the desire of Marcia for her ashes to travel the world. I will gladly and reverently take some with me in my upcoming travels. God willing I will be in Canada and China in April, the Holy Land in July, and in Spain in August. Marcia’s essence will accompany me. 
I love you all very much, family.”
Blog from the Belly 