the wind is bloody cold today...

To the wake of a family friend I go, in a little under an hour... my least favorite thing to do, wakes and funerals. In traditional Irish wake, celebration of life is the focal point. I never have trouble doing that, but because I'm a big softie, I find I'm always on the verge of bursting into tears... I'm almost always able to maintain a placid countenance, but inside I'm bawling like a two year old with tummy cramps. This particular wake is for the grandfather of a girl I grew up with... her parents being friends of my parents, I got to know him fairly well as a child. I have some fond memories of my friend, her parents and her grandfather when our family went to visit them at their bungalow. He was a very talented fiddle player, and I can see him clearly playing many a song at parties in their cabin. Good times, I say... good times. So off I go to see my friend and her family and her grandfather for the last time. I take with me happy memories to hold my smile in place and to meet them in their time of grief, as we all know that at times in our life, we stand in the same position. Friends, family and loved ones, nothing else really matters.