The comfort scales

This week has been really busy - I've led two funerals, met families to arrange new funerals, and written funeral services for the coming weeks. I've also held some one-to-one bereavement support sessions. In-between all of these I've either been behind the steering wheel or in front of the computer.

As the week went on I was beginning to feel the scales were tipping in the direction of me trying to give comfort to people, and not having the time (or the energy) to do anything for myself. However, after all the listening and absorbing on behalf of other people, I was in the joyous position of being listened to, when I met a group of Macmillan Nurses. We got together to chat about working with the terminally ill and their bereaved families. I was only there for about an hour and a half but it felt GREAT to chat about my work without fear of depressing, or scaring people! Sometimes I think it's hard enough being self-employed and, for the most part, working alone. But when your line of work is dying/death/bereavement, you do find yourself feeling a little isolated at times. I do anyway...

And that's not all. Before the week was out, I also found time for a bit of comfort telly. Nothing transports or engrosses me more than watching a film. I looked on the Sky + planner and saw that I'd recorded The Mission - a brilliant film made in 1986 with Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons, about Spanish Jesuits trying to protect a remote South American Indian Tribe from slavery. I'd seen it years ago and remembered it was good. But I'd forgotten (or perhaps didn't appreciate at the time), just how brilliant it actually was. And then, right at the end, are the words "The spirit of the dead will survive in the memory of the living". That's the one sentiment I share with the bereaved more than any other. It didn't hold the same meaning for me when I saw the film originally, but this time it really struck me. You know sometimes when you watch a film and it, sort of, stays with you for a long time afterwards? I felt really uplifted by it, almost (dare I say it) spiritual. Crikey, I'd better stop there. Next thing you know I'll be bulk buying The Mission on DVD and dropping it through people's letterboxes...

Suffice to say I've ended the week feeling I've got as much out of it as I put in. And that has to be a good thing...