I searched everywhere for a copy of this song that I could have playing on my xanga, but I didn't find it. So I'm going to have to settle with just putting the lyrics up here. This is a BEAUTIFUL song that made my whole HBSE class cry today. We've been talking about death and dying the past couple weeks, and it doesn't help that a girl in the class lost her grandpa over t-day break and that a girl in the department got killed... I already talked about that. But Lindsay (the girl who's grandpa died) told us what happened. She said that he had been diagnosed with cancer and that it had already spread pretty bad and there was nothing they could do. He said he was uncomfortable, but that as soon as he started to feel pain he wanted to die. Up to this point he did not feel pain. She said that the whole family was there Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) and that after that day he started to feel pain. All day Thursday he was moaning and talking about how all he wanted was to die and to see his wife again (she had died 3 or 4 years ago). It's amazing how God created the body to know when it's time to go - he had the perfect closure, seeing the whole family. Thursday night/Friday morning, 12:18 am he passed away. Right before he passed away she said he was raising his arms and she thought it was because he was going to throw up (again) and wanted a bucket, but the last time he raised his arms he said "Hi, honey." - as though he saw his wife, and I believe that he did. So the whole class was crying at this point. Then Lisa (our prof) was talking about Annie's memorial and how her (Lisa's) daughter (Morgan, who's 11) didn't blow out the candle when everyone else did. She waited, and then finally blew it out. When they got in the car to go home, Morgan told her (and Lisa was crying at this point) that she didn't want to blow out the candle because she felt like she was blowing out the last of Annie's life. But then, finally she did blow it out and when she saw the smoke rise she realized that it was like Annie's spirit filling the room. Then one girl had to leave the class and get a box of tissues to pass around, and Lisa played us this song, and I think it is so beautiful, like I said. I think I want this played at my funeral. We talked about how society views death, and that as Christians we need to realize that no, God's original plan was not for us to die. But sin was brought into the world and so bad things happen, including death. It's not that God just says, "oh I want Annie up here now" - it's just that we simply live in a fallen world. But at the same time, as Christians, we should long for our home, where we belong. I didn't know Annie, I didn't know Lindsay's grandpa, and I have never really lost anyone close to me, but I feel like death is all around me lately. Just a few days after all this happened, I was in Thrasher's apartment and apparently when I went to the bathroom the TV (that she had just turned off) turned back on and it was a televangelist saying "live each day as though it's your last". Then the next day Jen Ervin and I were in the computer lab and Jeremiah started searching people's names at images.google.com and Jen typed in her last name, and a tombstone came up. Then we went to the funeral home in class on Friday last week, and now this discussion. It's just so real that I could die any moment, it doesn't matter how healthy or young I am, accidents happen. My grandma's last living sibling is in really bad shape, and HER daughter-in-law has cancer and isn't expected to live long. Over break my mom was talking about how next Thanksgiving there might be less people there, and it's sad to think about, but it's so true. We take life for granted. So anyway, here's this song, and in case I die before any of you guys, this is what I want at my funeral, it's so beautiful, I know I keep saying that, but I just really wish you could hear it instead of just reading the lyrics.

"Rita" by Bebo Norman -

Lay down softly in our sorrow
Lay down sister to die
And cover over, my sweet Father
Cover over her eyes

Your broken body, it cannot weather
The years your youth still longs to spend
So go down graceful, sleep with the angels
And wake up whole again

‘Cause it was not your time; that's a useless line
A fallen world took your life

But the God that sometimes can't be found
Will wrap Himself around you
So lay down, sister, lay down

Slower passing are the hours
To tell this tale that takes its time
But the finest moment, no man can measure
Is to look your Savior in the eyes

So take her tender to Your table
Take her from this killing floor
To taste the water that is forever
Let her be thirsty no more

It was not her time; that's a useless line
A fallen world took her life

But the God that sometimes can't be found
Will wrap Himself around you
So lay down, sister, lay down

And the God that sometimes can't be found
Will wrap Himself around you
So lay down, Rita, lay down