The death of a loved one is the emotional equivalent of being hit by a train. There is almost nothing that can create the bewildering array of emotions that the death of a loved one can generate.

The range of emotions can include anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, and other feelings that defy ordinary description. And those emotions can hit the hardest during the holiday season.

The staff at Gunderson Funeral Home and Cremation Services are well aware of this. So, for 23 years, they’ve been hosting an event called A Time for Angels to help ease the pain of people who have experienced recent loss.

A Time for Angels went viral last year due to the pandemic. However, it will revert to its traditional in-person format on Sunday.

It will start at 1:30 p.m. at St. Olaf’s Lutheran Church, 239 N. 11th St.

The service will include messages from Reverend Emily Sauer, pastor of St. Olaf Lutheran Church, and Bishop Kevin McCoy of Holy Trinity Parish. There will be music and the names of those who have died in the past year will be read.

A live stream of the service will be available at www.facebook.com/StOlafFD.

We thank Gunderson Funeral Home and Cremation Services for going above and beyond what a funeral home typically should do to serve those who mourn. Reverend Emily Sauer and Bishop Kevin McCoy also deserve credit for their key roles in this ceremony.