Is there a sorrow greater than this?
[Hebrew]
Let our silence reach out to the bereaved family and friends of Jos. Let their tears
fall on us, let their anger break against us, let our love and our deeds speak for us.
In the presence of boundless grief,
the poet said: [Hebrew].
"There is no longer a prayer on my lips."
Yet we must pray, just as we must weep, because we can do no other.
Oh, God. Be now with the stricken family of Jos. Help them to draw near to one another
in their need for love and strength. Teach us to place our arms about them and to sorrow
with them. Be with mourners in their grief until hope breaks through like a bud in a dark
corner of the earth.
I'd like to invite those friends and family who have been asked to speak, to
symbolically place their arms around the family by offering their words of reflection.
Jano Cabrera
Camilo Viniegra
Renée Gentry
Emily Wilska
William Beaver
Jos was my friend. And I know he was your friend also.
Last Friday was just about the saddest thing that I ever expect to experience. This was not supposed to have happened. I mean, it's lunchtime right now and I'm thinking that if Jos was able to say these things, this is what he'd be saying at lunchtime:
He look out there at all of you folks, and the first thing he'd say is, "Look at all those beautiful people," because he always said that. Then he'd probably hug every one of you, and he'd touch every one of you, and he'd say something to every one of you, because he did that all the time. It's like he let everyone know that he loved everyone, first thing.
And then, we'd sit down and start talking, and then the ideas would be flowing, and this is like the second piece of Jos. These ideas are flowing back and forth, and we're just running around with ideas--and he'd originate; he'd bounce back ideas. It was just a great thing--he's a great man.
I guess I've been thinking for days and this is what Jos is about. He loved everyone and he shared ideas all the time. That's what he'd be doing right now if he could. I'll miss him so terribly that I can't even imagine it, especially since I've known him such a short time. But I know that you'll all miss him also. I'll just say goodbye.
