Four weddings and a funeral..
Well, not quite. But I have picked up two funerals and a wedding for next week.
All the stipendiary clergy take the week after Easter off, understandably since Lent and Holy Week are extremely demanding, and even English churches still tend to be full on Easter Day. But it means the clergy need cover for the week, which is where we retired clergy come into our own.
The two funerals are generating a lot of sadness. In both cases, the couple were about to move to a new house in a neighbouring parish, and in both cases the widows have decided to go ahead, so each funeral is in the new parish.
I shall be glad of the wedding next Saturday to lighten my mood. Funny how funerals somehow get into your blood, after a time. It’s as if you absorb some of that raw emotion which is flying around. Still, if any time of year can be said to be a good time for a funeral, perhaps this is it. It does bring the Easter message home in a very powerful way, unlike any other, and the churches will be filled with all the glory of the Easter flowers.
Meanwhile, the family are descending tomorrow from all quarters of the land, for Easter lunch cooked by Mum and Dad – and chocolate galore!
I can’t wait!