Officiating my grandma's funeral was one of the toughest moments as a minister
When her grandma asked Bonnie Sutherland to officiate her funeral, she felt caught between her roles of granddaughter and minister, and mourner and comforter.
![Officiating my grandma's funeral was one of the toughest moments as a minister](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7157029.1712088820!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/first-person-bonnie-sutherland-lead-illustration.jpg)
![When Lottie Sutherland joined the church headed by her granddaughter, Rev. Bonnie Sutherland, it seemed natural that, as minister, Bonnie would officiate at her grandmother’s funeral. It turned out to be much harder than she imagined. An illustration shows a female minister speaking at a podium being hugged by a translucent image of an elderly woman.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7157029.1712088820!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/first-person-bonnie-sutherland-lead-illustration.jpg)
When her grandma asked Bonnie Sutherland to officiate her funeral, she felt caught between her roles of granddaughter and minister, and mourner and comforter.