HOPE'S STORY, PART 17: "A CELEBRATION OF LIFE"

November 2, 2011 is a day I will never forget.  In a good way.
It was Hope's "Celebration of Life."
It was the perfect day for a funeral.  It was a sun-shiny day, and warm for November.
I got up early, finalized Hope's eulogy and tribute, wrote my talk, and then Tyler and I went to Fedex to make copies of the program.  Here is what it looked like:


We decided to do a viewing and funeral after all, and I am so happy we did.  It was a precious experience.  That 'celebration' is a time I love to look back on and remember and talk about.




The viewing started at 1pm and went until 3pm.  I have never felt anything like it...I have never felt such an outpouring of love...
I felt as if we COULD not fall, or hang our heads, or sorrow, because so many were there to lift us.  Tyler and I have never felt so close to heaven.  And it was because of you.
So many people came, and if you couldn't come, you wrote notes or messages on Facebook, and my heart soared for Hope's sake.  I wanted to say, "See, Hope, see how many people love you."
(If there is ever any doubt, know that your presence does make a difference...a big difference.  Since Hope's funeral, I have attended every funeral I have been invited to, because I learned how much it means.)

I don't know if he did it intentionally, but Tyler's whole testimony at the service was about how grateful we were for you.  I know that we are doing ok today, not only because of what we know, but because every step of the way, there were multiple hands bearing us up.  The effect of that, is life-changing.
I want to give what you all gave to us, and so I have tried to pass that love on.
It wasn't just Hope that changed us...it was you.

At 3pm the funeral director closed the doors and we had the family prayer, given by Tyler.  I kissed Hope's forehead and we closed the casket, to meet in body at another time.
We went to the chapel and the program part of Hope's celebration of life began.

I won't share the whole program.  The music was celestial, the talks powerful and filled with the spirit.
It began with a tribute to Hope's life and a eulogy (the tribute happens to be very similar to the first entry on this blog so I won't repeat it here--see Hope's Story, Part 1) given by my mom.  Here is Hope's eulogy:

Hope Caeli Fenton was born 23 Sep, 2011 and lived a magnificent 37 days on this earth.  From the beginning she was known as a fighter.  Defying all odds, she was delivered a beautiful, robust baby and spent the duration of her life wrapped up in her family’s and friend’s love and adoration. 

She was known as a great traveler.  From the beauty of the Thanksgiving Point gardens to the vistas of the Alpine Loop, she experienced the loveliness of this world.  She journeyed twice to see the Draper Temple where her parents were sealed.  One of her favorite expeditions was to Temple Square and particularly to the Christus statue at the visitors center where she saw in art form, the image of Him whom she would soon meet in death.  She also climbed the highest ski-lift accessible mountain peak in Utah atSnowbird. 

            Hope was known for her social interactions.  She attended at least six birthday parties (her own week birthday parties, and her one-month birthday party) and often graced visitors with at least one smile. 

Some of her favorite pass times were taking baths and having her hair brushed by dad.  She also loved snuggling on mom’s tummy and hearing made-up stories about Hope’s adventures with dragons that lived in castles.

She was not a lady of many words and never cried, but endured discomfort with a fixed and determined mouth and enjoyed the simple joys with gigantic smiles.  From the second day of her life she was smiling at Daddy who was likely her favorite person on earth, besides her Mom.

Hope will always be remembered and dearly loved.  Her life will inspire those close to her to stand a little taller, so that all can be reunited and hold each other once again.

Then came a song, sung by Alan Sackett and Megan Ryan (fun fact: they both used to work at Disneyland and one of Megan's jobs was to play Belle from Beauty and the Beast--is that not the coolest?  Megan also sings with Gladys Knight's choir in Las Vegas.)  If I had to condense the program to 4 minutes, I think this song would have sufficed.  It's not a perfect recording, because it was done from a pulpit, not a studio, but it elevated my spirit on that day.  I felt such joy.  Here it is (it's audio only, there is no picture) :

The last thing I will share is my dad's talk, because it says everything I was feeling:

I only have one regret about Hope's celebration.  If I had planned better, I would have had chocolate-covered strawberries (a reminder of Hope's strawberry hat, and also cause they are just YUMMY) and Martinelli's (that's sparkling cider) for everyone to drink.  It was a celebration, after all.  :)

When the celebration had ended, we went a couple of miles down the street to the South Jordan Cemetery.  Hope would be buried next to her second cousin Jordan, who had served and died in Iraq.  The sun kept us warm.  Tyler's father dedicated the grave.  We chose to lower her little casket ourselves, and so Tyler and President Howell (our stake president) placed her casket and sealed the vault.

There was a sweet spirit, and I didn't want to leave, because of how 'warm' it felt.

We were the last to leave.

My mom, because she is just like this (I love you, Mom!), waited until the cemetery workers had filled the grave.  Then she joined us at the church building for the incredibly delicious dinner the Relief Society (the women's organization of our church--fun fact: also one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the world) had provided.  I felt calm and peaceful during the dinner, and filled with love.  My tastebuds were also really happy.  ;)
The last thing we did that day, is go to the temple.  The temple is not where we worship on Sunday (it's actually closed on Sunday) but a place where we do service for those who have passed on, and where we receive further instruction on how to live good, worthy lives and return to our heavenly home.  We go as often as we can, whether it be weekly, monthly, or even yearly if the temple is far away.  It is the closest place between heaven and earth, comparable only with our own homes in holiness.  That might sound different, but I really believe our home is a special place.  My thought was, if there is any place I can be close to Hope on this day, it would be there.
Going home, it was like there was a warm ember in my chest.  Hope was not far away.
And life began with "someone from our home in heaven."