The Christmas season can be challenging for families overcoming grief caused by a lost loved one, the Rev. Sam Powell said.
"It is a time to remember -- this season," he told about 50 people Thursday evening in the mausoleum at Hawthorn Memorial Gardens. "A time to remember the blessings that they gave and how they were a blessing to so many. And how you were blessed by them."
Powell pointed out the gardens surrounding the mausoleum, gently lit by more than 400 electric candles for the annual Luminary & Christmas Remembrance Service, and asked listeners to embrace beauty.
"Remember that someone came into this world -- our savior Jesus -- to rescue us, to give us hope, to give us peace," he said. "To truly dwell and be with us."
Our problems don't go away. Our pain doesn't go away. Everything isn't perfect, but Jesus is here for us, he said.
Jeff Hilke, general manager of Hawthorn Memorial Gardens, said the service has been ongoing for many years.
"It's something that families look forward to," Hilke said. "Last year, we were dealing with ice. All day long we fielded phone calls from people wondering if we were going to have it."
Although it was breezy Thursday evening, temperatures were warm.
"This is something that is very near and dear to many of our families hearts," he said. "This is something meant to honor the lives of everyone that is buried here. We honor, specifically, the lives of everyone that's passed away during the past 12 months."
Families also attend to pay tribute to loved ones who have died over the years, he added.
"It's for anyone that's buried here," Hilke said.
The event's program listed 107 people in the cemetery who passed away between Dec. 1, 2022, and Dec. 1, 2023. Of those, 13 were veterans.
The facility provided luminaries, which people could place on loved ones' graves. Although not required, it accepted food donations for the luminaries. Food collected was to go to the Samaritan Center.
Joe Gamm/News Tribune
Diane Lindsay, board president for Hawthorn Memorial Gardens, speaks Thursday about how many of the families at Hawthorns Luminary & Christmas Remembrance were there for the first time, having lost someone in 2023. The first is the worst, but it gets easier, she consoled families.
Joe Gamm/News Tribune
Melinda Ellis of Hope City Church shares songs Thursday with families attending the annual Hawthorn Memorial Gardens Luminary & Christmas Remembrance Service. About 50 people filled the gardens Mausoleum for a ceremony.
Joe Gamm/News Tribune
Melinda Ellis of Hope City Church shares songs Thursday with families attending the annual Hawthorn Memorial Gardens Luminary & Christmas Remembrance Service. About 50 people filled the gardens Mausoleum for a ceremony.
Joe Gamm/News Tribune
The Rev. Sam Powell, associate pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, addresses families of people who passed in 2023 on Thursday during the annual Hawthorn Memorial Gardens Luminary & Christmas Remembrance Service. Powell said Jesus came to the world to give people hope and peace.
Joe Gamm/News Tribune
Before the Hawthorn Memorial Gardens Luminary & Christmas Remembrance Service began Thursday night, staff members distributed about 400 luminaries with electric candles along the cemetery's roadways. Families were also invited to place luminaries at loved ones' gravesites.