Put your hand in the hand

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
Buddha
Something of a potentially sombre day as we prepare for a funeral for J, a neighbour of many years at our last place. A pleasant surprise as the vicar welcomed those of all faiths and none to the service, which included a favourite verse from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, although my version was sung by The Byrds in 1965. The mood continued to lighten in a real celebration of life at the crematorium with lovely music and photos to remember him by. Glad we decided to join the family for refreshments as we were welcomed enthusiastically and thanked for being there. A useful reminder of how important it can be to help the family say their goodbyes, as we found when it was our turn to say goodbye to parents several years ago. I did find it quite tiring though and needed a quiet ‘shut-down’ before heading off for curry night at the pub, which was another opportunity to enjoy the company of other friends in a relaxed atmosphere over a couple of beers to round off a full day. Still full when we got home so watched Lesley Manville on 'Who Do You Think You Are' before collapsing into bed just before midnight, rain forecast tomorrow so a good excuse for a lie-in.