"...and harder still is this..."

My friend Jace died this morning.

A couple years ago, I was privileged to be a member of the committee that established a new service award at my church, the Virginia Grantham Award. (Virginia is a longtime member of First UU who was very active on the Caring Committee and other service activities until her stroke last year.) There was no question that Jace would be one of the inaugural recipients. One of my tasks was to write up why. My friend Gail added some more to it, and this is what appeared in the newsletter:

If you are a member or friend of this church, chances are you have eaten a meal prepared or organized by Jace Burch, served on a committee with him, and/or handed him a check for one of the many fundraisers he’s coordinated. Jace has contributed countless hours to feeding the collective body, mind and spirit of First UU, both literally and figuratively, often with the collaboration of his longtime partner in life and crime, Bill Latimer, and always with panache and style, whether it’s acting as a host for Stewardship dinners, catering Seders and block parties, or shampooing the carpets.

Jace is about to begin his third year as chair of the Fundraising Committee, for which we are immensely grateful; as one admirer put it, he knows how to "turn making money into an opportunity to have fun," whether it’s a campaign for paint or an evening of jazz or a holiday bake sale. As a stalwart of the Caring Committee, Jace is the linchpin of the Senior Breakfasts and has frequently served as Caring Coordinator for the entire church. He’s also contributed his time and talents to the Fellowship Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Finance Committee, Dinners for Nine, Chalice Circles, GLBT and Friends, the Oversight Committee, the Capital Campaign Committee, Wednesday Night Dinners, the Green Team, the Accessibility and Safety Task Force, Solidarity Sunday, holiday parties and brunches, and countless other events and initiatives.

In his professional life, Jace works for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and his devotion to the Tennessee Titans almost rivals that of his attachment to First UU.

On game days, Jace and Bill would show up to early service in Titans jerseys, and Jace would wear a Titans earring as well. I first learned about the rule "plant your seeds after Good Friday" from him quoting one of his elders during a Canvass speech. His memorial service will be this weekend, and it is to be a "70s disco party." (Which will be completely in character and appropriate, but oh, lordy... if only there were time to stop home and raid my dad's closet...) And the choir will be singing "The Fire of Commitment" and "Standing on the Side of Love."

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The subject line of this post is from the closing lines of a UU hymn (quoting from memory):

Eternity is hard to ken, but harder still is this:
A human life when truly seen is briefer than a kiss.