Saturday, October 01, 2011

Amazing Grace with Raymond in the Choir



Read Kahil Gibran on death, listen to this song, think of Raymond, you have the heart of the funeral.



You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.


In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?


For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?


Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

3 comments:

Stephen said...

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/obituary.aspx?n=raymond-poch&pid=153883604

His obituary

Stephen said...

Poché, Raymond Raymond Poché departed from his physical life on September 26, 2011. He leaves behind his wife of nearly forty years, Diane Barton Poché, children, Kelley Poché Rodriguez and her husband Mario, Barton Poché, Claire Poché, parents Fran and Bob Poché, siblings Robert Poché, Richard Poché, Lisa Evans, Lori Savoie, and Lydia Maxwell and their spouses, as well as his cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. Born in Houston, TX on September 5, 1950 and raised in Louisiana, Raymond graduated from West Monroe High School and the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and served in the US Marine Corp during the Vietnam conflict. He worked in commercial real estate, formerly with A & P Food Stores, Target Corp, Henry S. Miller, the Weitzman Group, and Weingarten Realty as well as teaching with the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. He participated in the restoration of Munger Place in old East Dallas and the revitalization of Holy Trinity Catholic School. Most recently, he was an active member of the Mankind Project, prison outreach, and the Center for Spiritual Living. A memorial celebration is scheduled for 6:30 PM on October 1, 2011 at the Center for Spiritual Living, 4801 Spring Valley Road, Suite 115, Dallas, TX 75244. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Veterans Association North Texas Health Care System, Volunteer Service 135, 4500 S. Lancaster Rd., Dallas, 75216, memo: mental health services, in memory of Raymond Poché.

Ron said...

Thank you, Steve, for the care and time you took to post this video and poem. It really gave me a sense of the funeral and a chance to say a final goodbye to Raymond. It was great to see him singing and living and I know he has finally reached divine peace in Heaven.