February 20, 2025
On a snowy Colorado evening, more than 70 community members came out to gather at Unity Columbine Spiritual Center in Boulder for TRU Community Care’s annual Lights of Life Remembrance Service. Despite the winter chill outside, the atmosphere inside was filled with warmth, compassion, and the soft glow of candlelight as attendees came together to honor and remember loved ones who have passed.
A Sacred Space for Remembrance
Kathryn Messman, Support Services Manager at TRU Grief Services, welcomed attendees with a powerful reminder about the nature of grief and the importance of coming together:
“The journey of grief can be confusing. In one moment there can be sadness and yearning for our loved ones, while the next can be full of rich memories, feelings of gratitude, and the chance to connect with the love we have experienced with those we have lost.”
The evening created a space for attendees to acknowledge their grief while also celebrating the memories of those they’ve lost. As Messman noted, “Coming together with people who truly understand loss and who want to incorporate their deep losses into this moment of remembrance is a wonderful and precious gift to ourselves and each other.”
Ceremony of Light
One of the evening’s most moving moments was the Ceremony of Light, led by Grief Counselor Joan Hummel. Each attendee held an unlit candle, representing the darkness of grief, before illuminating it to symbolize memories, love, and courage.
“The pain of our loss may be intense, but it reminds us of the depth of our love,” Hummel shared as attendees contemplated their unlit candles.
As candles flickered throughout the room, Hummel guided participants to “look deeply into the light of your candle and imagine all of those precious ways and times that are embodied in the light.” This powerful visual metaphor helped attendees connect with their memories and find comfort in shared experience.
Sharing Stories
During the “Remembering” portion of the service, attendees were invited to share brief stories about their loved ones. These moments of personal testimony filled the room with tears, laughter, and the beautiful complexity of human connection that continues even after death.
Moving Forward with Hope
As the evening concluded, Messman offered a blessing for all in attendance:
“May the sources of our strength, visible and invisible, bless and protect us when our hearts are broken open. May we find within ourselves the fortitude to live well as a blessing for those who have gone before us.”
TRU’s Lights of Life Remembrance Service reminds us that while grief is intensely personal, we don’t have to bear it alone. In coming together to honor our loved ones, we create community, find strength, and discover that even in our darkest moments, light can be found.
TRU Grief Services offers counseling and support groups to meet the many unique ways that people grieve. For more information about these services, call TRU Grief Services directly at (303) 604-5300 or visit TRUcare.org/grief.
TRU Community Care wishes to thank the staff and volunteers who helped make this event possible, with a special thank you to harpist Joan Hundhausen, whose beautiful melodies set the tone for the evening.
We’d also like to thank our sponsors for supporting this event: Unity Columbine Spiritual Center, Horan and McConaty, Kelly and Gregg Rogers, Jim Topping in Memory of Carolyn Topping, and Family Tree Private Care.
