Today was a day for reflection, for family, and for solidarity. It was time to say farewell to Mary. We collected the Gorse Fox's aunt from Rustington and headed up into the bandit-lands of Essex. Amazingly, the roads were at their most benign and we arrived with a couple of hours to spare. We stopped at the nearby carvery for lunch and some tea before heading along to the Cathedral.
Brentwood Cathedral is not much bigger than a large parish church. It is cruciform in shape and this allowed the family and friends to be much closer to the celebration of her life. The Mass was concelebrated by the local priest and one of GF's cousins. The Eulogy, written by Mary's husband, was read by another of GF's cousins. It was very moving, but somehow, it wasn't sad. It was a celebration and a chance to remember her as she was - full of life, full of humour, warm and approachable.
After the Mass we all met up in a local hotel for some tea and a chance to reminisce and catch up with the extended family. Despite the occasion, it was a lovely afternoon. Our family do not do sad farewells, they are always full of humour, full of love, and full of promise. This was no different.
We finally broke up at about seven and, again, the roads were incredibly benign. Despite the detour to drop Maragaret, we were still home before nine.
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