Reflections

Yesterday was a disturbing day, one in three parts.

The morning was much as other mornings, to church, where I read the intercessions. I had written them with summer and holidays in mind, mentioned redundant churches, church in Mecanhelas in Mozambique which our NSM visits and the congregation supports. Home  after a 80th birthday celebration for a member of congregation to prepare lunch.

Darling daughter didn't want steak we had bought in Farmers Market day before, so we finished Farmers Market quiche instead but she was warned steak will be eaten today. Her fads change daily and if she says she will eat with us I feel, within reason she should share our meal choice. Obviously I would not serve her food she won't eat, like fish as that is a constant.

In afternoon Ian & I pottered around and then decided we should go out so walked in our local park which is quite wild. The council have planted huge swatches of wild flowers which look so colourful and can be viewed from the arterial road as well. Enjoyed walk but came back very tired, humidity, long walk and haul over footbridge shattered me.

Whole tenor of day changed when I saw pictures of nephew/godson's wedding on Facebook. Although he and bride have been engaged for ever (he put on FB that they were engaged to keep her quiet) we knew nothing about the wedding. Many would say why should we? I would have liked to seen the couple married, would have been more than happy to miss the reception and what looked like a drunken dance/disco after.

What makes it more difficult is that my sister and her husband turned down invitation to our son's wedding. They gave no explanation to Adam who was quite upset that his Godparents were not attending especially as his was a church wedding. Later we learnt my sister and husband had accepted an earlier invitation to another wedding, son of a friend of whom we had never heard before. If they were such good friends surely they would understand attendance at a nephew's wedding was closer and family? I suspect sister's husband wants them to have little to do with her family, especially as they seem to avoid other family gatherings.

Sister and I are very different, have never been very close but such exclusion of close family means that the rift will be even bigger. From the photos it didn't look like a small gathering so it couldn't have been a numbers issue. As her husband is very anti computers, and as far as I know they don't have one, there will be little point of contact.I will continue to send birthday and Christmas cards, I had stopped gifts in favour of a charity donation.

Late in evening Martha rang us to ask if we had seen Facebook, I assumed she was talking about her cousin's wedding but it was sadder than that. Her friend, aged 27, from primary school and church choir days had died from pancreatic cancer. We knew G. was dying, but the confirmation was upsetting that so one so young had suffered so much. Our thoughts are with her parents, they are not together so that is difficult now and her younger brother. G. used to spend time at our house, Martha stayed with her so we could go off on church walking weekends, the girls were in the choir in their early teens although they drifted apart later.

All these thoughts went through my head and I slept badly, until I put Radio 2 on sometime after 5 and that sent me to sleep till about 7.30.

Sorry to my readers that this is a downbeat blog, must close as have chores to do, have no picture to add, just my thanks for reading this.

Madeleine / PixieMum