Responsive Reading (Led by Fred Cappuccino)

In the majestic rising of the sun,

    And in the going down of the same, we will remember her.

In the cold wind wafting through the weeping willows,

    And in the chill of winter, we will remember her.

In the bursting buds of balsam fir,

    And in the rebirth of spring, we will remember her.

In the blue of the vaulting firmament,

    And in the warmth of summer, we will remember her.

In the softly falling leaves of red maple and yellow birch,

    And in the beauty of autumn, we will remember her.

In the ecstasy of haunted hollyhock or hushed hemlock,

    We are reminded of her love for the earth and its creatures, and we will remember her.

When we hear the flapping wings of the startled great blue heron,

    And we behold him lumbering through the treetops, we will remember her.

When crackling twigs draw our eyes.

When we whirl the whispering waters of the historic Ottawa river

    Flowing to the great Atlantic sea, we will remember her.

In the Canadian vista of limestone and granite,

    We are reminded of her moral strength and her deep deep integrity.

When we ponder the plight of the victims of war and the downtrodden

    We are reminded of her passionate love for the least and the lost.

And when we are spinning yarns, and laughing around the table

    She will laugh with us, and we will remember her.

For as long as we shall live, she too shall live,

    For she is now a part of us, and down through the passing years, we will remember her.

(Adapted by Rev. Fred Cappuccino from Rabbi Roland B. Gittlesohn.)