Wednesday, January 17, 2007

A Cold Goodbye

Pearlie saw her specialist today. She is not much the wiser about what ails her but she has been told she will have an endoscopy procedure done at some time in the future.

While Bert and she were at the hospital I went to my Aunt's funeral with Leitrim Sister and Matty. Not so many of Matty's generation around now. They're either gone or too ill to go to funerals. I met around thirty of my cousins and we're getting to be the oldies now. Nearly all of us as grey as badgers and the rest either dyed or bald. Except Leitrim Sister who still sports a full head of ginger (ahem! I mean auburn) curls.

The funeral service was one of the best I've ever heard. For once the priest spoke of a real person rather than a plaster saint. My Aunt was not the easiest of women yet he described her in a way that highlighted her humanity, helped me to understand her eccentricities, her outspokenness and made me wish I'd had more time for her. A lesson learned. We froze at her graveside. I'm sure it served me right.

1932-2007

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

its never too late to learn a lesson, thinking of you

mikey x

Ronni said...

She looks like a strong woman. As do you.

Hageltoast said...

it's always hard to lose family. Take care of yourself.

Nelly said...

I hadn't much contact with my late aunt. But now, instead of being an out of the ordinary event, the death of my parents and their contemporaries hits in a different way, becomes commonplace and reminds me too that we're next.

Also the lesson learned is - that even those with whom we do not 'click' are people who matter to others and maybe people who could have mattered to us. Lost opportunities.