Moments in Time

I am in a particularly reflective mood today, 17 March, as exactly a year ago my dad-in-law passed away. It’s been 12 years since we lost my mum-in-law and today is her birthday. (It’s St Patrick’s day, hence why my mum-in-law was named Pat).

This picture is over 40 years ago. Mark and I were dating and it’s the first time I visited his home in Kendal. I was met with Pat and Denis’s characteristic warmth and generous hospitality. (Later, they were simply mum and dad). Over the years, many members of my family and circle of friends enjoyed that same kindness.

As I contemplate this photo, I am reminded that time is but a series of sequential moments. Some are saturated with a quality that reverberates with meaning -birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, the day you sent your kid off to school, graduations, the keys to your first home, you name it. Other moments, most moments, slip by unnoticed and unmarked, as we get on with the simple acts of going about our daily business. And before you know it, a whole life has been lived.

This particular moment was in many ways, an ordinary one. A family around a dinner table, (and let me tell you, mum could cook!) Yet, as I look at it now, I see that it represents one of those saturated moments. It’s when I stepped into a world very different from my own by virtue of every differential you could imagine. Background, culture, city to rural, central England to the North, even musical tastes!  I was a stranger in a very different landscape. The only point of contact was the 19-year-old guy  with whom I had fallen in love.

What did I experience?

An open door with arms wide, and a table set for dinner with a seat for me.

I hope I am living in such a manner - a life with many many moments that are drenched in the kind of love that extends a hello and a welcome.

R.I.P mum and dad and thank you.