John 4:14 with Jam and Jerusalem.

Standing by this stream in a reflective mood before the service today.
Something from a bible study went ‘ping’.
My Aunt Brenda drank deeply from the water of life and enfolded her life and family in the fabric of Christ her saviour not bobbing about on the waters surface in fear of the wilderness at the end of the stream but immersing herself body and soul in the living water.
Orphaned at birth and abused by her carers she rejected hate, retribution and victim hood instead choosing to care for her abusers as they grew infirmed in age.
She spread love to all who knew her and over the many years of being a practical Christian touched many lives which was reflected in the church having standing room only for late arrivals.
She was married at the church she was buried at, stopping to wind the clock with her new husband before going on their honeymoon and returning early the following Saturday to repeat the process, a mark of the dedication the couple gave the church and community over decades.
The WI provided refreshments after the service and in tribute to their lifelong member sang ‘Jerusalem’ without a dry eye left in the hall.
A stranger, I was made welcome by all and found many distant and lost family members and returned many family pictures to my cousin Marie to be placed in the family archives after proper identification and much reminiscing.
Footnote, I was musing about who was my teacher in the local school when we left in 1976 to find Mrs DenHollander had attended the service and had never left the village!
A special not must go to Paul and Tara for keeping my spirits up, hours of driving, exploring, adventures and being damned good friends. Thank you both.