Farewell to the Festa and to Feijão

Today is the last day of Mourão's biggest Festa, so here is the lit up castle from our walk home tonight, which we'll not see again till Christmas, I guess. And one of Ana Bravo´s cats. And some stars.

We were walking home from paying our respects to Feijão, who died this morning. The church was packed, with folk coming all the time, loud weeping, masses of flowers. He was a popular man, just 49, three kids, his elderly parents devastated, as is the whole community. Church this morning was sombre, but amazed at how appropriate the readings were, all about suffering, and why do the good die young, while the wicked seem to get away with murder? 

I took lots of photos of Feijão, he was in my catechism class and had been the face of the Adega for the last three years, until he got ill. But on my Blip journal, could only find this silhouette of him, on the right, and this one, in extra, of him laughing, which he often was.

The funeral is in the morning. I feel especially sad that I never visited him when we found out he was ill - a sin of omission for which I have asked forgiveness. Couldn't think what to take him or what I would say or whether he'd appreciate it, but I should have just gone.

Gratefuls:
- having known this special man
- Mike and I both living long enough to see our kids grow up
- lunch with the same lot as yesterday, in São Pedro, and some deep conversations