Ben was up early, wandering around the house in his gear. I knew before even getting out of bed as I listened to the thump of the studs from his boots on our floorboards. Considering it was his first match (another first without Maria to share in it) he did okay. I was proud of him (would have been regardless how he went). Hopefully Ben has learnt from this first experience and will further improve throughout the season. Fortunately there was no official scoring or premiership points because the game was well and truly over by the end of the first quarter. To their credit, our kids improved with each quarter.
We had a celebratory lunch, then got home in time for quick showers before heading to the Hospice for the Reflective Service. All was okay until we walked into the Hospice and I started to feel the memories pouring back. This was further exacerbated while sitting in the Chapel and seeing families in the area where we used to wait around or congregate when having a break from Maria's room. I could feel their pain. Ben and Gabi were both quite emotional. It was lovely to share it with Elaine and her daughters (as mentioned Alan passed away 17 days before Maria) and neighbours. It was also really nice to see Mary (head of Pastoral Care) who led the service. We first met her when Maria started home-based palliative care.
In the evening a bunch of neighbours had a lovely Chinese dinner at Elaine's home across the road. I put together a DVD of Alan and Maria for everyone to watch, while the kids went over to another neighbours to watch their own DVD–giving me the opportunity to catch up with others.
A highly emotional day.
