Wednesday 5 December 2012

Another friend says goodbye.

Today was the funeral of our friend, A.   She was in her eighties but appeared to be quite fit.   In fact we were out for lunch on the Sunday before she died.   But, sadly, she passed away leaving behind a grieving husband and family.

Today's rousing funeral in a Swaledale village , in the Wesleyan Methodist Church, was a fitting send off for this lovely lady.   There was a good crowd of her friends and family.   The hymns were well-chosen and included the W I 'hymn' Jerusalem, as she was always a keen member of the W I.   And the service ended with everyone singing 'Beautiful Swaledale', A's favourite song, which she could often be persuaded to sing at parties.   The whole service must have been a great comfort to everyone who knew and loved her.

And afterwards, as I recounted last week after the previous funeral, there was an enormous spread of food in the village hall.   The farmer was honoured, along with seven other local men, to be a bearer but he managed to get back in time to fill his plate with food, after laying A to rest in a churchyard with the most beautiful view.

Sadly, we arrived home to find that another dear friend, S, had died early this morning.   This makes three in three weeks.   They say things come in threes.   Let us hope so.   We need a few pieces of good news now to balance things out.   S was a wonderful character and will be very much missed around the village.  

13 comments:

John Going Gently said...

pat
sending you a blog HUG
how awful

The Solitary Walker said...

I can't say anything, Pat — just give you a blog hug like John.

Unknown said...

I'm really sorry to hear about your losses Pat...I'm hoping for you that you receive no more sad tidings this winter. Xx

Heather said...

Oh dear, Pat - so much sadness in such a short time. You must have had your share of sad news for a long while.

Cloudia said...

Condolences dear.

What I 'got' was that she died with no drawn-out fuss. Let that be a consolation to us.

Do hope the sky and wind and indoors make your Christmas time bright.

Fond Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral

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Gerry Snape said...

sorry Pat to hear about this...makes me realise how much we should be kind with one another.

mrsnesbitt said...

Pat , HUGS now the weather is cruel and we need to meet soon xxxxxx When we see a break n the snow let's just meet up 01287 644932 call me and I will zoom over xxxxx

George said...

Sorry for your losses, Pat. It's a sad but undeniable fact that the good fortune of having a long life is offset by the misfortune of bearing witness to the losses of so many friends and relatives.

Pondside said...

Pat I'm so sorry to read about all these losses in your circle as you approach Christmas. One thing for certain - your community knows how to give a member a good send-off!

mrsnesbitt said...

Sorry to hear of the third death Pat - let's hope this is the last one. Christmas is a sad time to lose one dont you think?

Will be in touch Dxx

MorningAJ said...

This time of year always seems to take its toll.

Wishing you better news soon.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you again for the commiserations - all these make the whole thing much easier to bear. Solidarity between friends means such a lot.

Golden West said...

It is never easy to say good-bye and the world seems quite altered after a loved one passes on. I hope you can find solace in their lives well lived and shared memories of happy times together, Weaver.