Snow in April...

And why it made me smile. I woke up early this morning, groaning at having to face a day at the office. The bank holiday weekend seemed such a long way away. I looked outside to see beautiful snowflakes drifting outside my window caught up in a wind that rocked them up and down and round in a circle. Despite myself, I smiled. Snow in April – possible if not probable. There it was: a calming blanket to soothe and relax my morning.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at a funeral as my friend said goodbye to her husband after his shocking and untimely death. The service was as lovely as these things can be. Friends and relatives gathered and celebrated the life of a man who I did not know, but who clearly made an impression on many throughout his life. The room was full. The mourners included the vicar himself, a friend of the family, who cried and grieved along with the congregation as his wife played the harp.

I have carried a melancholy air with me since learning of my friend’s loss, which occurred tragically on the day before her mother’s funeral. A time of great sadness that will take a longer time to heal.

And so it was I woke up the morning after, still feeling awash with sadness, looked out at the newness of the snowflakes and managed a smile of possibility. People will move on, it is what we do; that instinct that drives humans to survive and continue despite what happens in life.

One friend grieves for loss, another prepares to bring new life into the world, and a strange sense of balance has settled over our group. The happy unhappy cycle of life goes on. 

Elloise Hopkins.