A different church

Today I was in a different church. I walked up to the top of the old village to the mediaeval Catholic village church of Saint Saturnin for the funeral of a friend. This is the third friend I have lost in the last few months and I am hoping that the trend will decelerate. Nicole for many years helped run the French conversation group from which I continue to benefit. It was a rather sad that there were only 17 in the church and only two family members, one of whom was her estranged daughter. She spoke tearfully of how wounded she had been by her mother’s choices. It reminded me how important is the notion of forgiveness and I felt sad that her daughter may now live with a sense of regret. On a more positive note two others who have benefited from Nicole’s teaching came back for a coffee and we spent the rest of the morning catching up and exchanging news.