“It was one of those services that a lot of people hate and other people say that’s just the way it should be. Why did they hate it? Because it was long. Everybody wanted to say something and I blew it in the sense that I didn’t say to people, “Well, we can only have five speakers,” instead of, I don’t know, eight or nine. And you know how it is when you give time limits to people at a time like that — forget it, it doesn’t work. And you can’t ring a bell, as you can at a forum. No. So you just live with it. And there were some absolutely wonderful things said and I did the prayers and the readings and I think a very brief meditation.
I remember that great section in the 91st Psalm which is “You who live in the spirit of the most high will know the most high things in your life.” I think we did two hymns. We did the great hymn from the Ninth Symphony, “Joyful joyful we adore thee.” I had asked Bob about that. He said, “Well, if you’re going to do hymns” – he wasn’t too keen about that either—he said, “If you’re going to do hymns have some hymns that are full of life, that are full of things that might even be connected with joy.” I’m not exactly sure what the other one was. Despite its length, it was one of those services that you just don’t forget. Meaningful things were said. Lots of people crying.
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