There’s a grief that can’t be spoken
There’s a pain goes on and on
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone.
Marius singing “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Miserables
I help out at the local funeral home for funerals when I am available. Folks go there often when they have no church affiliation at the time of the death of their loved ones. When I meet them most are quick to apologize as they say “We are not church goers.” I quickly respond “I am not here to judge but to journey with you as you say goodbye to N.
I then say, “Tell me a bit about N., tell me some stories…what were they like? What will you miss about them the most?” After a deep breath…they begin to spin stories of loved ones in the midst of tears, and smiles and laughs. I often look at the pictures they provide as they are a snapshot of the lives of their loved ones. It is wonderful to watch people visiting look over this pics and begin to share stories with one another and with family. The funeral service is rich in storytelling and I bring along my guitar to add music as we gather and remember loved ones.
The song “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from the recent film version of Les Miserables tugged at my heart and how wonderful the character Marius sang out his grief and the story of his friends. It reminded me of the empty chairs at the table of my life…of friends come and gone. This picture above is another I took from our property around the pond. I sat a chair there and it was perfect placing. It reminds me of special people in my life who have died but whose stories I still weave…from my friends Barb Noble to Father Peter McKee to our beloved Uncle Mike and members of my own family.
But I must connect these stories to something greater and for me…the Emmaus story of the two disciples pouring out their grief over the empty chair at the empty table from the last supper where their friend Jesus had come and gone. In telling their story they remembered deeper and as a result 2000+ years later in our tradition, we know the power of connecting faith and story.
And so today as we embrace the day let us remember those who occupy the empty chair and be grateful. And my prayer begins with…
O Holy One,
With story we remember friends and family.
May the empty chairs be an invitation to remember those we love
and to tell their stories with hearts of faith. Amen!
