From snow to sunshine

I think I may have mentioned before, that for me, one of the great things about human emotions is that happiness and sadness are not mutually exclusive.  In the saddest of moments we can find happiness, usually provoked by a memory or act of kindness or love.

Yesterday was a day filled with these special moments.  It was the funeral of someone I have known nearly all of my life, a lady who has been a big influence and who will be missed by many.

We set out from my sister’s in a snow storm, weather appropriate to our mood. By the time we arrived at the church, the sky had cleared and the sun was shining (although it was still bitterly cold) and as we met with other family members and friends, our mood lifted a little to mirror the weather.

Although we were all filled with the deep sadness of having to say goodbye to someone so special to us, we were also united in our bounty of fabulous memories that we will keep with us forever.  You know, it is ok to enjoy catching up with people we don’t see often enough as a part of the grieving process.  We celebrated life whilst remembering all the great times we had together.

It is so sad to think that we will never see someone again, but no amount of sadness will bring them back.  Whilst we need to let the sadness in as part of saying goodbye, in the longer term much better use of energy in my opinion is keeping that person alive in our memories with fondness and love.

We will certainly do that.

Talk to you soon

Lots of love Mand xxx