PENTECOST 2007
From the Editor...
The Rabbit Cake and the Falcon
I lost my mother to ovarian cancer earlier this year. She
had been fighting it hard for over 6 ½ years, when the average
life expectancy for her type of cancer was less than half that
long. She struggled valiantly.
As I tried to cope with the loss, I found myself thinking of what I do
with families when they lose a loved one. There is one practice I
have learned about which I get loads of positive feedback, year after
year. After I go through the planning of the funeral liturgy, I
gather all the key family members and always ask two questions.
What do you remember the most about her? And: what about her
makes you most thankful? The stories I hear in response to those
two questions have been amazing time and again.
I sought to take my own advice, and when I thought hard, two very deep
memories were unearthed. The first was from when I was about six
on my birthday. Birthdays were big when my brother and I were
young, and Mom always asked the one whose life was celebrated what kind
of cake he wanted. You got to choose the flavor, the color, and
the shape.
I am not sure exactly why, but as a young boy I loved bunny
rabbits. So I asked for a rabbit cake. She studiously went
to work and out it came: white, coconut, and completely shaped like a
little bunny. There is a picture of it next to me with a big
smile.
The second came when a dear friend, Dr. Ashley Null, was giving a
recent address in the midst of which he began to tell a story about
Genghis Kahn and his falcon. As I listened in the back of the
room I instantly felt a familiarity with the tale. The more he
told it, the more I remembered. When, I wondered, was the last
time I had heard it. I soon thereafter realized it was when I was
about five, and my mother read it to me. That was more than forty
years ago.
Simple things, a rabbit cake and a story about a falcon, but in them is
seen a mother’s desire to give to her child on his own terms in a way
he would appreciate.
It is more blessed to give than to receive. The one who met
Thomas after the resurrection and offered him the opportunity to put
his hands in the wounds in his side knew that, and my mother did
too. For that I am deeply thankful.
The
Rev. Canon Dr.
Kendall S. Harmon
Return
to TAD menu