Paying Respects

Marking time and place
Remembrance of my father
Mourning rituals

This morning I went to the funeral for a colleagues husband.  It was held at a small Marae and the Maori traditions were observed.  I watched the small children playing and popping in and out of the wharenui where the coffin was.  People greeted each other with hugs and smiles.  A fantail flitted along the carved arms of the house looking for insects.  A cock sparrow sat on the tekoteko, the carved figure at the top of the house and preened its feathers.  When the coffin left it looked small.  The family looked stoic and sad.  I was able to meet up with teachers who used to work at our school and had made the journey back to pay their respects.
Afterwards I went and visited my own fathers plaque in another cemetery.  I don't usually like seeing the mishmash of objects on graves but today I did like the personal connections.