Loved ones remembered at annual Tree of Life ceremony

The frigid night air was very still last Thursday at Medford Memorial Middle School. One could hear a pin drop as a group of about 100 people stood silently in the darkness.

Then, one by one, lights began to rise. A murmur spread throughout the crowd as the light grew until the entire group was illuminated. Finally, a beautiful, strong tree, sitting just in front of the middle school, was lit for all to see.

Those who attended the Tree of Life ceremony last Thursday entered in the darkness, mourning the death of a loved one. However, the ceremony allowed them to move both physically and spiritually into the light.

The Tree of Life is put on by Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice, a non-profit hospice care group. It puts on the ceremony in a handful of towns each holiday season. Thanks to cooperation with the Medford Women’s Club and the Medford Memorial Middle School, the township has hosted the event for more than a decade.

Many of the participants on Thursday night were repeat visitors. Medford resident Erna Scheibner has gone to the Tree of Life for about 20 years. It has become a part of her holiday schedule every year.
“I have a group of people over to my house, we have dinner and then we come here,” she said.

“There are many families that come every year and make it a tradition,” said Carol Paprocki, a public relations manager for Samaritan. “They think it’s a great way to do this for the holidays and remember someone who has passed years earlier.”

The ceremony took about 30 minutes and included a few readings, music and the candle and tree lighting.

Because of the cold weather, the readings and music took place inside, but when it came time for the tree lighting, the crowd walked outside and braved the cold to partake in a beautiful and touching ceremony.
Michelle McClane was so touched when she first partook in the Tree of Like ceremony years ago that she now volunteers with Samaritan in some of its other fundraising events, such as its golf tournament. She was very emotional when thinking back to her first year.

“When people pass away, it’s a thing we don’t want to talk about,” McClane said. “So we’re in a place where you’re remembering your loved one, and even nine or 10 years out, you can still remember them.”
Analogies between light and dark, sadness and love, emptiness and fulfillment were alluded to throughout the night. However, there was little doubt that without the large gathering of people coming together as one, the event would not be the same.

Cass Roberts, another repeat visitor to the ceremony, said Samaritan helped out for seven years with her mother and sister. She wanted to give back in her own way.

“I’m here for support for them and I know that my mom and my sister are here,” she said.

McClane echoed the same statements as Roberts. She sees people come to the ceremony for the first time to try to help with the grieving process. She said a lot of people feel that sense of comfort and community when they realize they’re not alone in having lost a loved one.

“Some people say, ‘You should be over that,’ or ‘It was a long time ago.’ And you come to this and you remember them,” McClane said. “It’s a celebration, it’s a not a grievance.”