I attended a funeral today, perhaps one of the saddest funerals I have been to. A young man I did not know terribly well, but I knew his family well, especially his aunt. Through her I spent a fair bit of time with his Mum, sister and grandparents.
A particularly tragic and sudden death that has left the family and those who knew him reeling, least of all his twin sister. What a brave woman - she shared a wonderful speech about her brother, which was both joyous and heart-wrenchingly sad.
A poem called the Red Balloon was read - I cannot for the life of me find it on the Internet (you don't often disappoint me Mr Google, but today you have). Following this a red balloon was released - particularly poignant for this occasion.
Times like these often cause reflection. Mine has not been an uncommon one; don't leave it until a sad occasion occurs to make contact with people you care about. I have not seen my friend, with whom I flatted for quite some time, for a good 3 years. I am determined not to leave it that long again. And I must act on a goal on my 50 list - Make more frequent contact with those special friends from my past who still mean an awful lot to me.
I intend to make inroads to this goal this weekend.
I love that a sad occasion can still shed some positive light on your life. It is important to make time for those special friends and family no matter how busy we get!
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