This morning I have my first wedding blessing preparation session in the 'usual' place, on the terrace outside the Hotel Europa on the Balcon, with a couple from Newcastle, who'd arrived at the weekend. Their big day is Friday this week, and by then there'll be as many as fifty family and friends coming to join them. Their ceremony will take place on the terrace of a nearby restaurant which has a great view of the sea and the coast. They'd had a very quiet civil registration ceremony, wanting to put all the emphasis on the celebration with family and friends, which means so much to them. I'll enjoy giving it my best effort.
Back then for lunch and after being collected by Judith to make a second attempt at a Communion visit to a church member and her husband in a nursing home at Torre del Mar. This time all was in order, and we spent time chatting before giving the sacrament to them. It's a very comfortable and well run nursing home, but both would far rather be in their own home with carers organised, and friends not to far away to drop in. So, while they were pleased to see us, there was an inevitable tinge of sadness in the air.
Frail people coming to the end of their lives don't need to be away from home, where all their memories are stored with their furniture. They're in this place for respite care as much as anything, but it must feel like a prison. Despite intrusive noise from the corridor outside the room, the husband asked to keep the door open, not wanting to feel caged in. The need for freedom takes on a different character in old age. Glad we were able to go again and help them re-engage in a little normality, if only for an hour or so. It make some wonder what it'll be like for me when the time comes.
No comments:
Post a Comment