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Funeral
It was Grandpa's funeral today. Mum and Dad were staying with me for a couple of nights so I went down to Hastings with them, meeting at Grandpa's house for a light lunch with Louie (his widow) and some other family who'd come down the night before. The service was in the rather beautiful chapel of the nearby hospice where Louie has been doing volunteer work for many years, and Grandpa was also a helper before his health began to fail. The hospice chaplain led a very touching service - I blinked back an awful lot of tears. I'm not a religious person, but I can't deny that her Braille Bible and prayer book found the right words for the occasion, and you don't need to Believe to appreciate the sentiment of the Hymns we sung. We, his children and grandchildren, then followed across town to the crematorium for another brief service and our final farewells. Back at the house I had a chance to catch up with the family, and meet a few relatives from the eldest generation who I probably haven't seen in over eighteen years. Between them and the service I was gently reminded of past times and learned some new things, all of which helped me get past the loss and slight nagging guilt I was feeling last week. Soon, it was time to leave - my sister was heading back to Bristol, so I was able to get a lift as far as Reading where we had supper before heading our separate ways home.