Summary, Song Lyrics & Readings from Mom's Burial Service:
On the morning of April 29th, Mom was laid to rest in The Bronx, New York, where she was born, at The Woodlawn Cemetery and Conservancy.
To accompany Mom as she proceeded to her final resting place, our family came together through a virtual videoconference. To honor her commitment to human rights and her embrace of the arts, we accompanied Mom as she was driven past the resting places of the many suffragettes and jazz greats buried at the Cemetery.
Below are lyrics of one of Mom’s favorite hymns which was sung at the service, and lyrics of the recorded songs performed and written by family members which were also played. The Bible passage read was one of profound importance to Mom.
“For the Beauty of the Earth” (hymn) - Lyrics
1. For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
2. For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind's delight,
for the mystic harmony,
linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
3. For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
I Corinthians 13
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body [a]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 [b]bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of [c]prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I [d]became a WOman, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror [e]dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the [f]greatest of these is love.
“Don’t Let It” - Lyrics
Songwriter: Zoe (Pardo) Ko, Ana Yanez, Dominic Florio
Am I broken
Or just getting started
At my ropes end
If I’m being honest
It gets heavy so lonely weighing on me
Been losing sleep
I don’t see the point of playing games just to play them
I just wanna hold onto what’s real I won’t fake it
Dont let it get me down
Got 1 2 feet flat on the ground
Don’t let it get me down
Don’t let it get me down now
When it don’t heal
It’s too much to carry
I tell myself
It’s only temporary
It gets heavy so lonely weighing on me
Get so caught up so stressed out but I won’t leave
I guess I’ll admit it’s been hard to breathe
Been losing sleep
I don’t see the point of playing games just to play them
I just wanna hold onto what’s real I won’t fake it
Dont let it get me down
Got 1 2 feet flat on the ground
Don’t let it get me down
Don’t let it get me down
I’d love it if you came into my brain and explained it
Get so low it feels more like a maze it’s amazing
But I’m gon stick it out
Got 1 2 feet flat on the ground
Don’t let it get me down
Don’t let it
I wanna know am I getting closer
Closer
I wanna know am I getting closer
Closer
I don’t see the point of playing games just to play them
I just wanna hold onto what’s real I won’t fake it
Dont let it get me down
Got 1 2 feet flat on the ground
Don’t let it get me down
Don’t let it
I’d love it if you came into my brain and explained it
Get so low it feels more like a maze it’s amazing
But I’m gon stick it out
Got 1 2 feet flat on the ground
Don’t let it get me down
Don’t let it
“Uncloudy Day” - Lyrics
Songwriter: Willie Nelson
Oh, they tell me of a home far beyond the skies
Oh, they tell me of a home far away
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day
Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded sky
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day
Oh, they tell me of a home where my friends have gone
Oh, they tell me of that land far away
Where the tree of life in eternal bloom
Sheds its fragrance through the unclouded day
Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded sky
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day
Oh, they tell me of a King in His beauty there
And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold
Where He sits on the throne that is whiter than snow
In the city that is made of gold
Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded sky
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day
Oh, they tell me that He smiles on His children there
And His smile drives their sorrows all away
And they tell me that no tears ever come again
In that lovely land of unclouded day
Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded sky
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day
“I Can See Clearly Now” - Lyrics
Songwriter: Johnny Nash
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
I think I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Oh what a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day