OSWEGO — On Friday evening, Christmas lights and holiday displays filled Riverside Park. While many families gathered to write letters to the North Pole, drink Hot Cocoa, drop off donations for the Girl Scouts’ holiday food baskets, and visit with Santa Claus himself, others gathered to recognize their loved ones who have died this year.
Harry Hynes Hospice holds tree lighting ceremonies in many of the communities served, including Wichita, Pittsburg, Coffeyville, Parsons and Oswego.
“Our tree will shine brightly throughout the holiday season as a symbol of love, remembrance, and hope. Each light represents someone dear to us — honored and remembered — whose light continues to shine in our hearts,” Community Development Coordinator Katee Camus said. Family members were encouraged to take a memorial rock after the ceremony.
“ As a token to honor and carry the memory of your loved one with you,” Camus said.
Chaplain Steven Foraker led the rest of the ceremony, beginning with acknowledging the spiritual significance that lights can hold.
“As you can tell, we are in the cooler season of the year, where at 5 o’clock, it is dark and can feel very overwhelming,” Foraker said. “Because of the darkness, the folks in the northern climates have celebrated festivals of lights because they long for light to return.”
Foraker noted that many people in northern climates look to the northern lights for encouragement and peace through the darkness.
“Many of you are gathered here this evening because you have lost a loved one in the past year or in the recent past, and the absence of that loved one has been potentially a source of darkness to your spirit,” Foraker said. “Much like the darkness that comes at 5 o’clock, it feels like it is taking over, and so your darkness may feel as though it is closing in on you and can be debilitating,” Foraker noted that many religious traditions use lights or candles to honor the deceased.
“For example, in Judaism, every year on the anniversary of an individual’s death, family members light a Yahrzeit candle.
In Jewish tradition, the candle is lit at sundown the evening before the anniversary, and is meant to burn for a full 24 hours. These days, an electric candle is sometimes chosen for safety.
“The light offers an opportunity for the family to remember the deceased, and to reflect on their life,” Foraker said.
See GRIEF, Page 5.
In Catholicism, Foraker said lighting a candle is an act that helps one embrace the power of prayer.
“Churches feature rows of shared memorial candles that can be lit as dedicational prayers for the deceased,” Foraker said.
He acknowledged that lights have also been symbolic tools to those in numerous religious faiths and those who do not identify with religious traditions “The flame of a candle is often considered a source of guiding light in a place of darkness, which can symbolize the essence of hope for those who are grieving,” Foraker said.
He also recalled the symbolism of lighthouses.
“Lighthouses are on the edge of the sea that guide ships through the darkness to the safety of the harbor. Their light stands bold and penetrates the overwhelming darkness,” Foraker said.
He also noted the allusion to Christmas trees, illuminated by candles, or in today’s era, electric lights.
“The light on this tree serves to honor and pay tribute to the life of your loved one who has passed. It also symbolizes the continuation of their life in spirit, and serves as a reminder that the memory of the loved one you have will live on,” Foraker said.
He said the light can help those who are grieving gain a sense of appreciation and of self-reflection for their own life, while also remembering those who they have lost and actively keeping their loved one’s memory alive. “The tree stands as a lighthouse, shining bright in the darkness, leading you through the darkest time of your life. The lights on the tree represent each sunrise and sunset that your loved one beheld. The lights represent each star that their hearts wished upon. The light reminds us of the tears that spilled out of their eyes in moments of sorrow and moments of sheer awe. The lights remind us of the sound of their laughter, echoing still in our hearts. The lights bring to mind the cups of coffee, the glasses of wine, and the meals shared. The lights represent the joyful events and also each fight that was followed by forgiveness. The lights represent the lessons they learned and, in return, shared with us. This tree represents your love for them,” Foraker said.
“It is our hope that remembering your loved one with this light, on this tree, will enable you to dispel some of the darkness of grief this season. We pray that your remembering will be a source of healing peace.”
Afer a moment of silence, the names of those honored were read, as follows: Jerry Ashmore, Tonya Atherton, Dale Alexander Barnard, Philip Blair, Orvilla Blecha, Lee Boyd, Nathaniel Brawley, Gary Don Brawley, Agnes Budde, Velma Budde, Albert Budde, Gary Budde, Eleanora Budde, Sharon Camus, Louita Carter, Hugh Charles, Junior L. Coates, Marlene Coates, Terri Coates, Sue Coury, Dianne Creel, Woody Creel, Dorothy Creel, Patricia Creel, Gloria Curran, Thera Carter, Richard Curtis, John DiDomizio, Elmer D. Diver, Robbi Eden, Danny R. Edwards, Susan E. Fleming, Ellis Frakes, Thelma Frakes, Breanna Francis, Kimberly Cruzan Franklin, Carla Fulsom, Norma Gilmore, Betty Gruver, George Gruver, Stuart Bruce Harris, Roy Lester Harris, Lisa Harrod, George Hedges, Ruby Sloan Hedges, Ralph Hendrix, Greg Herzet, Herb Hickman, Doris Lea Hillbrant, Donald L. Hillbrant, Linda Holtzman, Alan Honour Jr., Kimberly Horn, Mike Hughes, Captain James L. Hurt, Joline Jaggers, Sue Johnson, Jeanne Kalm, Erica Karleskint, Joseph Karleskint, Dr. Thomas J. Kill, Maria Kinkaid, Shirley J. Kranker, Rudy Kranker, James Z. Maritt, Jenifer Lyn Hurt-McDonald, David McNabb, Alice McNabb, Donald R. Miesfeldt Sr., Kevin Mikrut, Jane E. Misasi, Jack Morris, Michael E. Murray, Donald J. Murray, Thomas A. Nelson Sr., Thomas Charles Payne, Norma Pickering, Jim Pickering, Joe Reilly, Lois Reilly, Betty Rons, Wally Rons, Danny Ross, Virginia Blair Rozick, Don Shelby, Gerald Sloan, Debra A. Smith, Susan Souders, Gail O. Storm, Sajonna “Jonnie” Trotnic, Dianne Viranda, Clark Ward, Pansy Ward, and Janice Wetsien.
After the ceremony, families extended their gratitude to Camus and Foraker for the ceremony. Some attended other festivities that eve-
