Although it was very painful to say good-bye, we needed this. Simon is with the Lord already, but I needed to surrender him. His life and importance was validated. We also felt very loved and comforted by the presence of our spiritual family.

We debated about whether to do this at all and who we should invite. In the end we invited our family and closest friends. Then we asked them to forward the information to others. We figured that, that way they wouldn't feel we expected them to come since we invited them, but would be able to come if they wanted (since we remember being disappointed at missing the funeral of a friend's baby).

We had a very informal service on a Saturday morning - casual clothes and kids running around. It was kind of like a garden party. I really enjoyed having the children participate. It suited us just right. We met under a special memorial tree for unborn babies in our local cemetary.

If you are reading this because you are planning a memorial service - I'm so terribly sorry. It helped us to remember that there are no rules here. Pray about it and do what you need to. We felt this service reflected our family and our needs very well. I'm so glad we did it. Here's an outline of our service:
 
 

Welcome - thank you for coming; hand out balloons.
We had blue and white helium balloons - each one had a verse attatched to it.

Open in Prayer

Read Psalm 34 - The Lord put this psalm on Glen's heart a few days before Simon died. He began to memorize it. It was the psalm we read over and over again during labour.It is not easy and we don't always feel like it, but we will praise God no matter what.

Read scripture - each person in the circle read the one on their balloon.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14
See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven 
always see the face of my Father in heaven. 
Matthew 18:10
He tends his flock like a shepherd.
He gathers the lambs in his arms
And carries them close to his heart.
Isaiah 40:11
I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, “Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.”
Revelation 21:3-4
For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.
Hebrews 13:14
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day. These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me...
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted... 
to comfort all who mourn, 
and provide for those who grieve in Zion— 
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning, 
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, 
a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
  Isaiah 61:1-4
 
We also considered: Phillippians 3:20-21, 1 Peter 1:4-6, Psalm 56:8-12, Corinthians 2:9, Matthew 18:1-4
Mommy reads her poem
I am a Mom.
It’s who I am.
It’s who God made me to be.
He put this call on my life,
And then he gave you to me.

But what can I do for my child,
Who’s already so far away?
I wanted to keep you safe from harm
And watch you grow each day.
I wanted to baby-proof the house
When you began to crawl.
I wanted to be your biggest fan
And comfort you when you fall.
I wanted to sing you lull-a-byes
And tuck you into bed.
But I’m writing a stupid poem
To read at your funeral instead.

The only thing I can do for you
Is entrust you to His care.
Heaven is the perfect home.
I know you’ll be happy there.
Jesus will wipe away your tears.
He will sing you to sleep.
You belong to Him anyway,
You were never mine to keep.
But I will miss you all my life,
You and your brother too.
So I’m holding on to the promise
That we’ll be together soon.

I’m your Mom.
It’s who I am.
It’s who God made me to be.
He put a blessing in my life
When He gave you to me.

Christie Hoos
written September 26, 2003


Release the balloons

Sing "Faithful One" We asked our friend Jeff to bring his guitar and lead the singing. It was beautiful.

Faithful One, so unchanging.
Ageless One, You're my Rock of peace.
Lord of all, I depend on You.

I call out to You
Again and again
I call out to You
Again and again

You are my Rock in times of trouble.
You lift me up when I fall down.
All through the storm
Your love is the anchor.
My hope is in You alone.

Brian Doerksen 1989
 

Open prayer time

Closing words and prayer

Hugs and tears all around

Lunch at A&W with our friends

The only thing I would do differently is sing a few more songs and get someone to TAKE PICTURES (especially of the balloons being released). We have so few things to remember Simon by as it is. Also we were not able to spread his ashes under the tree like we wanted (stupid city by-law). We're still trying to figure out what we want to do with that (buy a plot, put them with his brother...).

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