Perhaps the harshest fact of life is that it eventually comes to an end. For the living it means that everyone, everywhere, has someone they’ve lost, someone they miss, someone they love, or just someone they never want to forget.
Recognizing the need for remembrance in a nondenominational setting, Kim Farley and Kim Larue of Eatonton’s Peaceful Purpose Hospice (PPH) put together their 4th annual Diamonds in the Sky event, held Dec. 14, at The Plaza Arts Center. Larue pointed out most hospices offer some kind of memorial service or opportunity each November, but credited Farley for suggesting they wait until December.
“It’s the holidays and you spread cheer. But not everyone is cheerful. A lot of people are mourning. A lot of people are just not doing well. They're not in a good place mentally,” said LaRue, a registered nurse and chief of compliance for PPH. “So, we thought it would be a good idea to do it in December and maybe bring a little cheer into those peoples’ lives.”
“And we open it up to the public because Eatonton is a smalltown community, so any one loss is a significant loss being that it's a small town, so we want to embrace everyone,” Peaceful Purpose founder and CEO Farley added.
Upon entering the venue, guests were invited to write the name(s) of anyone they were honoring that night on cardboard stars they then hung like ornaments on a bare-branched remembrance tree.
The show began promptly at 7 p.m., opening with remarks from Peaceful Purpose Chaplain Sharon White, who also served as emcee for the evening. First at the podium was pastor Fred Lowe with scriptural words of comfort and encouragement, followed by two songs performed by local sisters-band Evergreene, and a brief grief support testimonial from La Toshia Maddox.
The variety of presenters is a conscious choice, Farley and Larue said, because not everyone responds similarly to the spoken word or music or even interpretive dance, as Rashawd Ford of the Anointed Praise Dance Ministry demonstrated in a moving performance that stole the show.
“We actually took a backseat this year and let our staff plan everything— which is not an easy thing for either of us to do,” LaRue admitted with a laugh. “We did not execute at all, and I think we were both very pleased.”
A poetry reading by a woman identified only as “Monique” came just prior to a planned moment of silence before Farley and LaRue took the stage together to share a few thoughts.
“When we got up there and we asked if anyone we serviced was there and to see that many people standing, it was like, oh my God, what an amazing moment,” Farley recalled.
The show concluded with a single song from guitarist and singer Anenca Marie Simpson, followed by remarks from Brandiss Marks of Jigsaw Healthcare and finally, a poetry reading by PPH nurse Cassie Price.
Overall, Farley and LaRue agreed the 2022 edition of Diamonds in the Sky was their best yet, but both recognize it offered just a brief respite and opportunity for grieving friends, relatives and loved ones to even open themselves to the concept of comfort.
“I wish that people were just overall more open to discussions in regard to grief,” Farley said. “We have free support available once a month at the Chamber (of Commerce offices) here in Eatonton, and we do have a fair turnout but there’s so many more people in our community who are hurting and who could benefit from that. It's an awesome resource. So, if people need someone to talk to, we're here, we have that group, we have that safe place. I just hope they just take that first step and come see us.”