Britt's Eulogy
Here is the eulogy that was given by Julia at Brittany's funeral on Saturday. It was wonderful that most of us were able to gather either there or at Qwanoes to remember Britt that day.
Brittany Fehr was the sister I never had. Our friendship began on a baseball team in Junior high which was really not about baseball at all. I think Ralph could confess that try as he did, Brittany's heart and head were never completely in the game, but boy could she keep us rolling with laughter.
As we entered high school I saw new sides of Britt. It was almost infuriating to sit beside her in Pre-Calculus math or French for that matter, and struggle through verb conjunctions and y x equations as Brittany read her Bible or soaked in a good book, which she had hidden under the table. Britt could get away with putting school on the back burner though, and much to our dismay her test results were consistently better than ours.
Brittany knew what was important in life. She loved God, and she loved people. She was always the laid back one, the dreamer, the artist, and had a way of getting you involved in some kind of Brittany Fehr scheme. Getting to know Britt pretty well through the Grace Church Youth group, I remember our final youth retreat at Camp Arnas in Grade 12. After an intense game of dutch blitz, which for the record Britt and I won, Britt decided a midnight snack was well deserved. Breaking into the camps kitchen, Britt went after the taco chips, salsa and cheese. As Britt whipped up plates topped with hot nachos for everyone, our youth leaders turned their heads, and left us to stand guard. In Britt's mind rules could be bent, twisted, or blurred if it aided to the betterment of mankind.
Brittany was also real. You knew when she was up and when she was down. Her expressions told all. When asking Britt how it was going, you could expect a huge smile and a "just fantastic," or a pouty lip and a "this sucks." She didn't miss an opportunity to tell you that you were special, she loved you and to cheer you on. Britt believed that love is best kept by giving it away.
Brittany had a heart to serve and a fascination with other cultures. She was passionate about China and I distinctly remember her willingness to give up everything, even her life to serve these people. Even while living in Canmore, she took joy in experiencing foreign traditions. One of the recent memories shared about Britt was smoking an Arabic sheesha's at the Mediterranean Café in Calgary. For those of you not familiar with the tradition, a sheesha is a tall, bong-like contraption that filters flavored substances (not quite sure what) through water. The flouvoring was pink lemonade. Brittany was intrigued with the tradition and determined to master the art of smoke rings. The strained expressions on her face were priceless, as she puckered her lips, raised her eyebrows, and squealed with delight at the sight of the first “O.”
You only had to talk to Britt for about two minutes to know what she was all about. She loved God and deeply desired to see the same passion in others. You always got the sense that maybe she saw just a little more of God than we did. Jim Badke, our program director at Kaleo, described Britt's love for worship and prayer by saying, "She always had one foot in heaven, it's as if God just said to her, well your closer to my home than yours, why don't you just come over." And she did!"
I have a hard time believing that someone so incredibly full of life could have been taken by death. But then I know that she's more alive now than she ever has been! For anyone who has ever seen Brittanys face as she worshiped you can almost imagine what it must look like now as she sees Jesus face to face and rocks out to praise and worship with the angels!
Psalm 34 - those who look to him are RADIANT!
Brittany will be greatly missed by all of those she left behind, but if I know Brittany, she would shake her head at our tears, give us one of those extra long hugs, and get the party started. I think she would be uncomfortable having the focus on her and humbly direct all attention, celebration, and glory back to God. After all, it is the Jesus living in Britt that we remember and that is a testimony that will never die.
Brittany Fehr was the sister I never had. Our friendship began on a baseball team in Junior high which was really not about baseball at all. I think Ralph could confess that try as he did, Brittany's heart and head were never completely in the game, but boy could she keep us rolling with laughter.
As we entered high school I saw new sides of Britt. It was almost infuriating to sit beside her in Pre-Calculus math or French for that matter, and struggle through verb conjunctions and y x equations as Brittany read her Bible or soaked in a good book, which she had hidden under the table. Britt could get away with putting school on the back burner though, and much to our dismay her test results were consistently better than ours.
Brittany knew what was important in life. She loved God, and she loved people. She was always the laid back one, the dreamer, the artist, and had a way of getting you involved in some kind of Brittany Fehr scheme. Getting to know Britt pretty well through the Grace Church Youth group, I remember our final youth retreat at Camp Arnas in Grade 12. After an intense game of dutch blitz, which for the record Britt and I won, Britt decided a midnight snack was well deserved. Breaking into the camps kitchen, Britt went after the taco chips, salsa and cheese. As Britt whipped up plates topped with hot nachos for everyone, our youth leaders turned their heads, and left us to stand guard. In Britt's mind rules could be bent, twisted, or blurred if it aided to the betterment of mankind.
Brittany was also real. You knew when she was up and when she was down. Her expressions told all. When asking Britt how it was going, you could expect a huge smile and a "just fantastic," or a pouty lip and a "this sucks." She didn't miss an opportunity to tell you that you were special, she loved you and to cheer you on. Britt believed that love is best kept by giving it away.
Brittany had a heart to serve and a fascination with other cultures. She was passionate about China and I distinctly remember her willingness to give up everything, even her life to serve these people. Even while living in Canmore, she took joy in experiencing foreign traditions. One of the recent memories shared about Britt was smoking an Arabic sheesha's at the Mediterranean Café in Calgary. For those of you not familiar with the tradition, a sheesha is a tall, bong-like contraption that filters flavored substances (not quite sure what) through water. The flouvoring was pink lemonade. Brittany was intrigued with the tradition and determined to master the art of smoke rings. The strained expressions on her face were priceless, as she puckered her lips, raised her eyebrows, and squealed with delight at the sight of the first “O.”
You only had to talk to Britt for about two minutes to know what she was all about. She loved God and deeply desired to see the same passion in others. You always got the sense that maybe she saw just a little more of God than we did. Jim Badke, our program director at Kaleo, described Britt's love for worship and prayer by saying, "She always had one foot in heaven, it's as if God just said to her, well your closer to my home than yours, why don't you just come over." And she did!"
I have a hard time believing that someone so incredibly full of life could have been taken by death. But then I know that she's more alive now than she ever has been! For anyone who has ever seen Brittanys face as she worshiped you can almost imagine what it must look like now as she sees Jesus face to face and rocks out to praise and worship with the angels!
Psalm 34 - those who look to him are RADIANT!
Brittany will be greatly missed by all of those she left behind, but if I know Brittany, she would shake her head at our tears, give us one of those extra long hugs, and get the party started. I think she would be uncomfortable having the focus on her and humbly direct all attention, celebration, and glory back to God. After all, it is the Jesus living in Britt that we remember and that is a testimony that will never die.
posted by Jim Badke at Monday, March 07, 2005
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