Manic Day (4 of 5)

Manic Day (4 of 5)
Today was Mary’s interment, in the family plot in the Leinster Hills near Myshall. We had some time in the morning and drove to Phoenix Park and went for a walk to see the phoenix and the papal cross erected in 1979 for Pope John Paul II’s visit, and from where he preached to 1.25 million people. Mary left at 12:30 and we followed the hearse to the cemetery. I have been to 3 Catholic funerals, and have found them rather soulless. Perhaps this is deliberate and helps people get through them. I felt nothing until Mary’s family said a few words and then her younger sister sang a song. At that point family and friends all lost it, as it was so well sung, and was really a fitting tribute to a splendid person. There was much hugging and chatting before we went off for amother meal. I sat next to her godparent, Kitty, a lovely lady with sparkly eyes and a good sense of humour.

Amazingly our arrangements with the holiday cottage worked well and we had a nice drink and chat outside as the sunset. The blip is from the back garden. A nice end to yet another manic day when we said farewell to Mary; gone but not forgotten.