Leaf-Laying at Seattle Mennonite Church August 16, 2013
More than 60 people turned up for the Dedication of seven new Leaves of Remembrance on Friday, August 16, 2013. (Fourteen Leaves at this same location were laid last year, so there are 21 Leaves of Remembrance altogether at the site, Seattle Mennonite Church, 3120 NE 125th.)
The ritual was co-led by Pastor Melanie Neufeld of Seattle Mennonite Church and Sally Kinney of the Homeless Remembrance Project Committee, and started with words of welcome and a litany of the seven names. Then, there was a public time of sharing memories. Then, we had the community “take up” the Leaves, one by one, and lay them down on the sidewalk (where they’re now permanently affixed), and Sally led a stone-laying ritual (from the Jewish tradition). Then, (this was unplanned), folks laid down flowers on the newly-laid Leaves. Afterwards, there was a reception in the church, with refreshments provided by the Mennonites, the Latter Day Saints Women’s Group, and the Lake City Hunger Task Force. It was a real community event.
The arc of the story in the photos really follows family members who were there to honor their loved ones. The Nicks-Weiss family (parents, brothers, in-laws, nephews, others) turned up in great numbers to honor Martha Louise Weiss; each held a sunflower through the ceremony, and laid them down by Martha’s Leaf at the end of the dedication. Also, Keith Burbach, Arleta Burbach’s son, turned up and made remarks about his mom. Their presence made the event particularly moving and inspiring.