Heavy hearted week

The last few days have been spent trying to absorb the fact of my brother in law's death, and all that follows on from that stark fact. It's not easy to maintain usual routine with a heavy heart. Monday evening, however, we had a BCRP Board meeting, and agreed an interview process for the post due to be advertised in the regional press this week, and again I took minutes, but waited until Tuesday morning to write them up. In evening I went to Chi Gung class as usual, and worked quite well even if my mind was on times far away. 

This morning no class of children attended the Wednesday Mass at St Germans. I visited the school and spent an hour in an RE session with Year 4 in a Q&A session with the kids about the job of a priest. I enjoyed their curiosity immensely. After the lunch break I visited the afternoon session of the nursery class for the start of their prayer time and activities following. There are two dozen in the morning group and eight in the afternoon, but set to grow to two dozen as new children are admitted on reaching the required age of entrance. The nursery teacher and assistants are challenged having to receive children of a range of social and language backgrounds, maturity and development levels. Some are unused to social interaction or play, more accustomed to spending time at home parked in front of a television, little read to or talked to. What's achieved in a few hours of contact time is nothing short of amazing. Would that classes in parenting skills were more widely available in this country as they are in other countries.

After school, I went to the office for a few hours of planning discussion with Ashley before going home to cook supper, and slump in front of the telly, avoiding work I need to do, lacking energy. Eddie's funeral is now confirmed to be in Kirton, his home church on November 4th. Rachel his god-daughter won't be able to come from the USA, sadly, but Owain will be there. Kath has been asked to sing with Anto 'Bridge over troubled waters' a favourite of Ann and Eddie's. The long wait is not going to make it any easier.