Memorial Service in Hove

Sara was up and awake before me this morning and the first I knew she had woken was when she brought in tea at around 7 a.m.  She had already taken Thom up to the shop for his paper round whilst I was still sleeping soundly!  Both Sara and I attended Early Morning Eucharist at St. John's this morning which was taken by Canon Jeremy. Being Candlemas, he gave quite a long homily on the presentation of Jesus in the Temple and described how the baby's hands would have opened and closed and how, on Good Friday, those same hands would have been spread open.  Quite a moving and graphic image.  Despite the Book of Common Prayer language, Sara seemed to enjoy the service.  After a breakfast of sausage, omelette and bacon, I set to work to put up the new curtain pole in the Family Room.  I had a little trouble interpreting the diagram and the brackets themselves are made up of three separate parts and it seemed to need an engineering degree to assemble them.  However, after doing one the others followed on easily and I was very pleased to get the pole up and level (checked with my spirit level at all points).  Sara ironed the new curtains and put them up after I left to drive to Hove to attend a Memorial Service for Colin Lee at St. Philip's Church, Hove.  I arrived at the church at 2.00 p.m. and it was absolutely packed.  I managed to get a seat towards the back and Tim, the Secretary of my mother lodge in Brighton, joined me.  The service lasted just under 2 hours with four eulogies and an address from the Rev. Stephen Terry, the Sussex Provincial Grand Chaplain. A really good service and I thought Stephen conducted it very well - emphasising that it was a celebration of Colin's life and not a funeral although emotions would be mixed and that it was good to show those emotions if people felt the need to do so.   Afterwards there were tea and biscuits in the church hall.  There must have been at least 300 people in attendance - a big affair for a very dedicated Mason who leaves behind a young wife and two young children - aged 13 and 14.  I called in briefly at Peter's but he is clearly away at the moment.  I finally got back home at 7 p.m. after a journey along the coastal road.  Will watch some of the Superbowl game with Sara and Thom before going to bed tonight.