No sooner did the ink dry on the blog of mine ‘ It’s not her fault ‘ my mother in law passed away, dying peacefully in the home of her youngest son. By God’s grace the lady was released into His arms freed from the shackles of dementia, from the world of oblivion into the land of eternity. It was a momentous occasion and the family wept.
Now they prepare for the Funeral at a time there is restriction on numbers that can attend, the send off service and all the inevitable guidelines that the era of Covid has brought. Add to that the overload upon the work of the Undertakers in this mid winter season and a week on a date has now been set for burial.
Meantime as the tears flooded from the many eyes so did the phone calls , messages of condolence from every quarter. The number of these were many, Face time calls from her native India, hundreds of social media postings, tales from those she helped through her life , a litany of love and how she had impacted so many. Many spoke of her tremendous sense of humour and of how she would light up any room with her presence. As a son in law I recognised all of that yet I was taken aback at the extent of her life reach.
Today I began the task of moving out her special bed, her wheelchair, belongings for use no more. It was a stark reminder that as we enter the world with nothing we exit with the same. Even that bodily costume that we wear is buried beneath the turf yet the spirit lives on as does legacy , memories and reputation. Around her tomb will now gather those that emanated from her womb directly and indirectly, in total 27 siblings , grandchildren and great grandchildren, as the stone of her life ripples upon life’s waters.
The Funeral will be the closing day of her life on Earth the closing of a curtain on this side of the stage but the opening on the other. When I joined this family elders stood before me but now I stand alongside others as I graduated to an elder. The Great Solomon told us that there is a time, a season for everything and that life is a vapour, no sooner here but away. The Funeral is the closing chapter but then we begin to write our Memoir in a better place as others write our obituary. It was a honour to have met this lady and a privilege that she welcomed me with her husband with whom she will now rest. We pray.
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