L'Église

This is our local church. It's an impressive edifice for a small country town. But not being of a religious persuasion myself, I have only been in it twice. The first time was for a classical concert during the annual summer music festival. The second time was for the funeral of my friend, Tom, who along with his partner Jean-Luc was proprietor of the hotel-restaurant Victor Hugo. Tom was brought up in Northern Ireland, though his mother was Scottish. He was a colourful, sometimes abrasive, always entertaining character who died far too young.

Jean-Luc asked me to read the classic funeral poem, "Death is nothing at all" by Henry Scott Holland.

Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other
That we are still...

But I knew that I would get too emotional and be unable to complete it. So I opted instead to read a passage from the New Testament - Corinthians 1-13. That insightful piece about faith, hope and charity. But I rather liked the more modern interpretation where charity is replaced by love. So I created my own version - an amalgamation of the traditional King James translation and a more modern interpretation. Never thought I would be an editor of the bible!

I wore my kilt for the occasion and sat at the front of the church with the relatives. And it wasn't until I stood up to recite my piece that I saw how full the church was. It was standing room only (500 to 600 people) - a measure of how popular Tom had been in this town in a foreign country so many miles from his home. It gave me the strength to read my piece in a strong and confident voice, while thinking of the friend I had known for the greater part of my adult life.

My recitation was followed by a reading of the same piece in French - the whole ceremony was conducted in both languages. And we then proceeded to a tiny cemetery below the château of Castelnau, where Tom was finally laid to rest in Jean-Luc's family tomb. I think of him every time I drive past it.