You Shall Go Out With Joy!

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Greystoke church is a beautiful building. I'd always imagined getting married there, but when the occasion arose it wasn't the right option for us.

The weather created the perfect (if such a thing exists) ambience; a chill in the air, the ground crisp and the sun beaming down.

Only having been to one funeral, over 15 years ago, I didn't know what to expect. Especially since I was alone with our 15m old daughter as my husband had stayed at home to look after our 3 year old boy.

Although I identify more towards agnostic there is a certain comfort in same words repeated through the millennia

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies,' says the Lord (John 11:25).

We now commit her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life…

Grief is a complex emotion, often expressed before the event, and I'm sure it will keep re-appearing every time you remember .

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!

Mary Frye (1932)