A Service in Celebration and Thanksgiving for the Life of Harriet Burns
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After that, Sarno decided to begin sending Harriet slightly saucy and provocative cards on her birthdays. She was delighted. He also would send her notes, mentioning he would be passing through Acapulco, and offering to meet her at their �usual spot.� �I was,� he concluded with a grin, �Harriet�s �secret lover.��
As the laughter subsided, Sarno said that Harriet made everyone around her feel special. Even if it was just a sweeper passing through, she would ask about their work, their family, or their life. She went out of her way to make everyone feel of value.
Sarno also said he was sure that many at the service had experienced Harriet�s playful side. He recalled that shortly after moving to Montecito, she acquired a beautiful grand piano. When he first visited, she asked him if he would play something while she got some snacks. After she brought in the tray, she offered to play for him. To his surprise, she expertly performed an intricate tune. As he marveled at this unknown talent, he suddenly realized she was busy offering him another tray, as the beautiful music went on. �That was her new player piano,� he said, realizing he�d been had.
Sarno noted that in college, he had learned a way to deal with the death of a loved one. �Pick a trait of theirs,� he said, �And make it your own. Of Harriet�s outstanding traits, he said, �Everyone she met was valuable and important to her. That�s something I�m going to take on.� In doing this, he said, it would keep her alive.
Sarno wound up his remarks by noting that to many, Harriet was a real life Auntie Mame. The motto �Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death,� could have been hers. She loved from the bottom of her heart. She laughed and laughed. �Happy birthday, Harriet,� he quietly concluded, �You�re going to be with us forever.
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As Rev. Bullock made his way back to the front of the church, he added that Harriet had actually crowned Jim �The Prince of Acapulco,� but he was too modest to tell everyone.
Bullock prefaced his homily with a reading from the Gospel of John. He spoke comforting words of eternal life, and the resurrection of the dead. Saying that death has no power over those who believe, he noted that this message was originally both joyful, and unexpected. It is joyful because it signals the end of this life, and the start of the next. He lauded Harriet�s imagination, recalling the words of children: �If we can imagine it, it can happen.�
On the subject of Harriet and joy, Bullock simply asked, �Anyone here been to Disneyland?� There were good natured chuckles as most hands were raised. Bullock remembered his first glimpses of Disneyland on television, and his first actual visit. It is a joyful place, and Harriet did so much to create that joy.
Bullock concluded his homily with a gift to take away. �No power you can imagine, of any kind� he said, �Can ever come between you and the love of Christ.� He went on, �Now Harriet is with Christ, so nothing can come between you and the love of Harriet.�