Family and friends gather to celebrate the life of Sharon JJ Slate
Sharon J. J. Slate is going home — not to her Carthage house, but to Jesus.
Instead of a funeral home full of flowers and a church full of tears of sadness because someone has died, Mrs. Slate chose to have her moment of remembrance while she is still alive. Sharing that time with loved ones before she dies and being a good Christian, she said, have been her dying wishes.
“I decided I wasn’t going to have a funeral or calling hours — that’s money that could feed the poor,” she said. “To me, it’s a waste of money. I wanted to let my family and friends know how blessed I am to be going home.”
She said she also is looking forward to seeing her late husband, Carl, again.
Mrs. Slate said she chose to have a celebration of life service Saturday at First Baptist Church, 207 State St., so she could spend time with the people she is closest to before she dies. Earlier this year, she became ill. On March 18, she saw Dr. Daniel Root, Lowville, who gave her unexpected news — she has esophageal cancer, which has spread throughout her body, and she was given six to eight weeks to live.
Flowers are a symbol of beauty, given as gifts to celebrate life. Flowers can be symbolic of many special occasions and life accomplishments and are also given in times of sickness or grief to brighten a loved one’s mood. Flowers send a message when given as a gift to someone special. This message can say, “I love you”, “Get well soon”, “Thinking of You”, “Congratulations”, “Happy Birthday” but can also say “Goodbye”. In the case of giving flowers to convey sympathy at the loss of a loved one, flowers can send a message of remembrance, respect and hope. At a time of grief and loss, it has long been tradition to send flowers to offer love, support and a sense of comfort to mourners and to honour a loved one at their service.
