Aunty May
Even being of an agnostic/atheist
belief, there is something that being in a church for certain occasions feels a
bit different.
Recently (as of August 2018) my Aunty May passed away. Cancer had the final word.
She had been living with the
disease for too long, keeping up amazing spirits.
Of course, it is sad. Trying
to dig any positives out of any death is a damn hard ask.
That the suffering ended?
Possibly; hard to say an outright yes.
That she received a
brilliant send-off in church? Again, there is that word possibly.
She was one of my Mam’s sisters.
There were three. Aunty Maureen (she was funny!) was taken away surprisingly in
the summer. There is now only one sister to Mam. Aunty Ann. One Scottish Aunty
for Sharon (my sister) and I.
To the church, and as I’ve
said I’m largely a non-believer type (judge if you want) and as such attending
church is a rare occasion. There are two reasons for such visits; for me. One sad,
one happy.
This instance was another
sad occasion. What I won’t lie about is that wherever reason they are for, the ‘attendees’ for the respective occasion do (seem to) create an emotional
atmosphere; in the purpose-built venue. The music and words play a HUGE part in
that.
Be it (music) solemn or joyous,
it adds-to the scene. Apologies if I sound like a judgemental non-carer. Not
so.
I knew of what music Aunty
May had chosen; and wow from me for that – Stay Young Forever (The Vatersay Boys) – Folk music with
the words of the song absolutely fitting, spiritual and inspirational:
“Stay young forever, never grow old.
Let
the Child in you come shining through,
And
never ever, never ever
Never
ever grow old.
The
tide in life its high right now,
The
tide it will ebb and it will flow,
And
time will come and it time will go
Where
it goes no one knows.
Stay
young forever, never grow old.
Let
the Child in you come shining through,
And
never ever, never ever
Never
ever grow old.
The
past has gone and the future’s not yet here.
And
all we have is right now.
Let’s
all embrace, face what you have to face,
And
start living your life from now on.
Stay
young forever, never grow old.
Let
the Child in you come shining through,
And
never ever, never ever
Never
ever grow old.”
The funeral words. Priest
David did his thing well and a part of it (I was listening) surprised me. Not
being a reader of the Bible I know next to nothing of it (yes; some basics), so
when David started with a part of the book ‘Ecclesiates’,
3.8 (I think), I thought “really?” from a business point of view type thing.
Whether that was before, during, or
after he had read the above lyrics too I can't remember. I was of emotional character
for obvious reasons.
All was not lost when I
heard “god” (I know of the lower case) said. It just then got more ‘biblical’
to me, and ‘interest’ was…
What do I mean? NO, I’m not joining
church nor have I become religious. As he said talking of Aunty May being an entrepreneur,
the words did fit.
What words? In truth, forgotten.
The 3.8 thing itself is “a time to love, and a
time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”
Entrepreneurial? No. But.
This from Wikipedia
links to some thoughts; maybe:
Ecclesiastes
has had a deep influence on Western literature. It contains several phrases
that have resonated in British and American culture, and was quoted by Abraham
Lincoln addressing Congress in 1862. American novelist Thomas
Wolfe wrote: "[O]f all I have ever seen or learned, that book
seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man's
life upon this earth—and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and
truth. I am not given to dogmatic judgements in the matter of literary creation,
but if I had to make one I could say that Ecclesiastes is the greatest single
piece of writing I have ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most
lasting and profound."
Selfish blogging? No. Aunty
May was one of my early cooking inspirations with her being an excellent chef
by trade! Thank you for that. A sad but good chance for the family and families
to get together in Argyll.
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