Lament, Joy and Hope in a Time of Pandemic
A few days ago I took a funeral service. Unlike several others recently, the death wasn't Covid-19 related. As the mourners gathered in the Crematorium, I noticed that, despite the Funeral Director's best efforts, many of them were taking no notice whatsoever of the social-distancing markers on the chairs. As a result, many rows were filled with people who clearly weren't all from one household or 'bubble'. To their credit, they were all wearing face masks, but as the service ended and they filed past me into the courtyard area, many of them huddled close together whilst others kissed and embraced. As several people were chatting, they either raised, lowered or removed their facemasks. Grief, of couse, is difficult enough to cope with at the best of times, and it's hardly surprising that mourners at a funeral either forget what precautions they need to be taking or abandon them because they simply find them all too much to bear in such sad circumstances. It...