Thank the Doctors and Hospital Staff and everyone who provided help last Sunday, and since.
It was a nice day - a Sunday. Not too bad for January - the cold snap had finished and normal activities were going on a usual. A lady - a busy lady - was going about her business with a carload of kids. And disaster struck - for no reason - out of the blue - no fault of hers - no explanation - just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
No - I don't think that's right. Heather was in the right place - doing what parents are always doing - taking kids to and collecting them from schools, sports - music - swimming - Irish dancing - dog obedience and so on. The variety is endless. That's life - many of you are living through it with your own children or grandchildren. Heather was doing the right thing at the right time - well, nearly the right time. Just a few minutes late - but that's normal - most of us are running a few minutes late.
In fact doing the right thing would be an excellent theme for Heather's life - A nurse - a midwife helping bring life into this world; An intensive care nurse - helping to keep alive those who were at death's door; A police officer - trying to keep the peace - to make this land of ours a better place for us all - and for her own family - her own children.
Three careers squeezed into her 38 years - A nurse - a Policewoman and most demanding of all - a wife and mother. She squeezed more into those few years than most of us do into a full lifetime.
Catherine, young as she was, had already made her mark. Such a nice child - chatty but not cheeky - delightful in every way as only a 7 year old girl can be. The School represented as their tribute to her; and a much-loved member of our GB company. But our loss is heaven's gain - and Mother and daughter can find comfort in each other today, as Roy and Ashleigh and Joshua and Connor find comfort in each other here.
And what do think of Joshua - not too comfortable of course, to put it mildly. Yesterday in hospital I asked Joshua "How's you leg?" He just looked at me, and with the timing of a born comedian said "Broken." The truth is it's coming on well so far - just be careful you don't get a dunt on the way out today.
Ashleigh said to me "You should talk about seatbelts in your church" So my appeal is to you all to please wear your seatbelts - always, everywhere - even on a straight road, on a clear day in the middle of the Afternoon. Always and everywhere.
This crowd - this vast crowd, including the overflow in the Hall and outside is a wonderful tribute to Heather and Catherine. Roy, you have already taken great strength from your own children and their amazing resilience. This crowd today is also offering you all their support and love - you can fell the outpouring, not just of their sympathy, but their love and support.
And as well as these hundreds of people loving you, you are also loved by your own Father in Heaven. And this was something that Heather knew Š.
She was a Bible reader; her Bible was underlined and highlighted. The verses read earlier were some of those she had marked. It was a book that was used. She knew the way of Salvation, and told me she was a Christian. When you fly off on holiday you go through a gate - we're careful to go through the right gate so we can get to the right destination, otherwise we'd be boarded onto the wrong plane and end up in the wrong place. Gates are numbered - but one gate is named -it's name is "death". That's all death is - a gate through which we fly to a brighter, better place. The document that we need on the way through is not a passport nor a visa or even a plane ticket - its a Book. A used book - a book that had been read - understood and the message accepted. That's Heather's challenge to us - we are hardly going to match her dynamic lifestyle - three careers and still not 40 years. Most of us will never have her high energy levels that kept her always on the go. But we can all read her Book - and share her faith - and when our turn comes to go through the gate with a name and not a number - we can be sure that our pilot is Jesus - and the destination is his place.
May God go with us all till we reach our eternal home with Jesus in Glory.
Note To Editors:
The service will be conducted by the congregation's minister Rev Wilson Gordon and tribute will be paid to Mrs Burnside by her senior PSNI Officer, Superintendent Gerald Murray. The P7 class from Catherine's school, Andrew's Memorial Primary, will sing.
After the service (approx 45mins) the funeral cortege, with both hearses travelling side by side, will walk down the hill from the church, past the square in Comber, and along the Newtownards Road to Comber Cemetery for burial.
No cameras will be admitted to the church.
There will be a sound feed to speakers in the adjoining church hall and possibly to speakers outside.
Mr Gordon will not be available for interview
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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