Osteospermum

This afternoon R and I went to the funeral of a neighbour who died recently at the age of 97. It was a lovely service, with warm tributes paid by family members to a woman who was clearly the heart of her extended family, and who retained her sense of fun and her zest for life right through to her final short illness. Some of the anecdotes that were told about her made me think about the extraordinary changes that have happened in the world over the past century, and admire the fact that she seems to have embraced change and challenge throughout her life.

Whenever I go to the kind of funeral that makes me wish I'd had the chance to know the person better, I feel a little sad that they themselves can't hear the eulogy, and know how much they're loved and missed. Anyone who inspires such obvious affection, amusement, and admiration would surely be entitled to feel that they'd lived their life well.