Yes, I know I haven’t written anything here for an ENTIRE WEEK! Life gets in the way sometimes. Or perhaps this is the new normal - a few words each week, rather than a never-ending stream of consciousness.
At least I have a story to tell.
We went to a family Wedding last weekend in Witney, Oxfordshire - the town where I used to live. I have not been back for twenty years, so it was quite strange really. The wedding was at a church in the old part of the town, which thankfully hadn’t changed. Memories came flooding back as we walked through the town - to old friends, and various nights out over the years. I wondered if I might bump into any old faces but I guess life has moved on for everybody.
One of my cousins was getting married. It was bittersweet - he’s terminally ill with cancer, and was finally marrying his partner - the girl he’s been with for years.
The church was impressive, enormous, and filled to the gunnels with family, friends and well-wishers. Apart from one other cousin and uncle, there were very few family members from our side - the wedding had only been green-lighted a few days before, and most of our family is spread all over the country (or world) now. Quite a difference from our childhood when various cousins would visit each other week-in, week-out.
I had several far-flung family members waiting on my photos throughout the day.
Although many of us had perhaps approached the wedding with trepidation, and could have turned the day into a rather sombre, sad affair, the opposite happened. The church was filled with goodwill, optimism, smiles, and yes - a few tears. Shortly before the service began I snuck down to the front to find the groom’s parents and wish them well. The smiles said everything. They had an empty block of seats behind them, so I returned moments later with my family.
The ceremony was very traditional, but kind of lovely. It’s nice to know that in a changing world some things remain. The vicar read the excerpt from Corinthians about putting away childish things. I remember a friend reading it at our wedding twenty years previously.
Religious ceremonies fascinate me. Given my lack of faith or belief in any of it, I find myself wondering about the history of it all - how the various procedures, readings, iconography, and so on have evolved over the years.
After leaving the church and taking all manner of photos outside we wandered back through town, and then on to the reception at a village hall a few miles away. I finally got the change to catch up with my aunt and uncle, and sat for some time finding out how my cousin really was - and how the last year had been since his adventures began.
Late in the afternoon we said our goodbyes, and returned to Witney once more - finding a pub on the green next to the Church we had attended earlier in the day - and ordered some food and a drink. The late afternoon sun shone, the birds sand, and we were reminded that sometimes the world isn’t all bad.