Former colleagues and friends

I was up and out sharp on a damp grey and cool-for-July day to head to Fife. A former member of my team from milk marketing days who had gone on to greater things than I achieved had died recently aged 73. He’d suffered a severe bout of pneumonia with complications and despite all efforts had passed away. It was a huge turn out both at the crematorium and at the church for his thanksgiving service.

Each was a lovely service with many recollections of Gordon’s life. The services were led by the Very Rev. Iain Greeshields, a recent Moderator of the Church of Scotland alongside whom Gordon had worked in this church as a Reader following his early retirement. It was evident from the words of praise how much he had been admired in his second “career”. The photo is of one of the stained glass windows in the modern church in Dunfermline. As with too many people my contact in recent years had been digital rather than physical.

Then off to an art deco pavilion for some refreshments and catching up with other colleagues and friends from those days.

After lunch I went on to visit a retired colleague from my later days working in the Scottish Government on children’s policy. A few years back on a church walk I’d passed the end of her garden in Rosyth without knowing and I promised to call in another time to say hello. Just as with a promise I’d made at Christmas to Gordon to meet up for coffee, that had never quite materialised. So when the opportunity arose I decided to visit Penny and we had a good catch up, picking up from when we last met.

It has reinforced my view that more time needs to be carved out to meet up with friends before it is too late!