Monday Off!

Well, it's the start of another week and I find myself able to Blog at some significant length today as opposed to the hurried posts at lunchtimes at work.
So why am I not at work? Well, I thought I'd take a day out to do nothing. No real reason but I think we all need a day like that from time to time. Especially as the weekends tend to fill up very quickly.

So it was the Oscars last night. And...er...I'm struck by how very dull all the reports about them have been. Philip Seymour Hoffman...yawn...Reese Witherspoon...yawn...Rachel Wiesz...(She's British so we should all be really pleased, apparently, but thats according to the BBC and don't even get me started)...yawn...and Surprise Surprise, Brokeback Mountain didn't win Best Film. I wasn't suprised - its got a gay theme. And Hollywood doesn't like gay people (see how many openly gay actors there are - well apart from Tom (W)Hanks playing an AIDS victim). So is anyone bothered? Please tell me you are!

And now I come to something I havn't spoken about here before. On February 15th this year a 39 year old mother of one died of a brain tumour. Yesterday was her memorial service in a little village church just outside Brighton. The church was jam packed with her friends and family and the service was very moving. Her name was Kelly. She was my Brother's wife and she was one of the most inspirational people I have ever met.

During the service, her friend Sharon, read out a letter from her. It must have been bizarre to plan your own funeral but Kelly's letter was perfect. It was very moving - when she spoke about the love she had for her husband and her four year old son, - but it was also in a strange way uplifting. She was someone who faced such terrible illness but remained positive and even to her last days her thoughts were for those she was leaving behind. She said she'd stopped asking "Why me?" but had started instead to ask "Why not me?" - there was no anger there, just sorrow that it was over so soon and sadness that she wouldn't see her son grow up. Even when she was well she was someone who you admired because she was always busy and she always said what she thought - she kept this too, right up to the end.

I think wherever she is she will be pleased at the way we said goodbye.

So spare a thought for Kelly today. And spare a thought too for Thomas, her son and John, her husband.