I’m not really sure if ‘The untitled bog post’ or ‘The title-less blog post’ would be correct. To be honest I’m not even sure that is relevant but I’ve typed it and I just can’t be arsed to remove it.

This blog is about a flower thief. A thieving toe-rag of the lowest order.

My mother-in-law died recently and fortunately or unfortunately I actually liked my mum-in-law. I say fortunately because it just made life easier; unfortunately, because her passing is/was a sad personal loss.

(Despite this, please feel free to post Mother-in-Law jokes as they do amuse me and I have friends who have total dragons to contend with).

My mother-in-law wanted a very simple disposal. Sorry if that sounds a bit cold and harsh but it is kind of how she would put it. She told my wife that she wanted no fuss, simply stuck in a banana box and floated out to see via The Thames.

In The UK this is illegal but has been done by some members of particular communities.

So, the nearest my wife could get to a banana box was a beautiful banana leaf casket.The service was very simple, not fussy & not religious.

Margaret, my mother-in-law was perhaps not the most outgoing person but none the less had an interest in the world and people rather than possessions.

She wouldn’t have wanted a big show with people getting up and giving eulogies but would prefer friends & family to have a social gathering and remember her.

There was just a short reading of some words that my wife was sent by a friend. The words were read out by the funeral director who set the tone perfectly.

“At birth we board a train and meet our parents, we believe they will always travel by our side. However, at some station our parents will step down from the train.

As time goes by, other people are boarding the train and they will be significant. Our siblings, relatives, friends, children and even the love of our life. But the seat left by a parent will always be empty.

Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we didn’t realise they’d left their seats. This train ride will be full of joy, sorry, hope, smiles, hellos and goodbyes.

The mystery to everyone is that we don’t know which station we will step down. So…..we must live in the best way we can. Love, forgive and offer the best of who we are. Then when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind memories of those who will continue to travel on their train of life.” 

Unfortunately I can not credit the author; a quick google search of the words gives a number of different possibilities. (If you are the original author or know who it it, please take/give a credit in the comments box)

Margaret’s Service was on Friday, just before Mothering Sunday. Some of the flowers were taken home to Scotland by family members to place on family graves. Some flowers were left at the crematorium with the intention on collecting them on Sunday; Mothering Sunday!

My wife really wanted to find an untended grave of a woman to place the flowers. But someone had another idea. A thieving toe-rag of the lowest order!

How could you nick flowers from a crematorium?  We weren’t angry, just disappointed.

My wife decided she wanted to see if the flowers were used at another grave. She said if it was a poorly kept grave, the person may have not been able to afford their own flowers, seen all the new mothers-day flowers and just taken them from the crematorium to place on their own mothers grave. In her eyes, wrong but forgivable if the person may be in financial hardship.

She wondered around for just over three hours and found the flowers on the grave of a man that passed away late last year. The grave was extremely well tended and this did not go down well.

If you are the thieving toss-pot, I’m sorry for your loss and I sincerely hope your mourning is short. I also hope that if you believe in eternal peace or that we are just moving through this world as part of a longer journey, that your person reachers that point.

I also hope you carry some guilt for effectively stealing from the dead & showing no compassion for others.

Does writing this blog achieve anything? Not for me personally but there is a message here, we shape the society we live in and we do not need to lower ourselves to the lowest common dominator.

This is where my wife placed the flowers today.

Whoever you are Nora Gannon, I hope you’re in a better place.

 

J J J.