Photo from the archive was taken on the Dublin/Cork motorway just after the M7/M8 divide (Irl)

Having a camera with you is always handy especially for those unexpected moments. Just as the sun peeped through a cloudy skyline, some horses moved directly in front of the light. It is always tricky taking a photograph into the sun but here it captures a lovely moment in the depth of November.

Thought on Wednesday – November – 10/11/2021

‘Though we cannot prove the existence of an afterlife, throughout the ages peoples all over the world from the Egyptians to the American Indians to the Irish have built monuments to honour their dead, believing that in some mysterious way they continued in another existence.’ ~Mary Troy

We are now into the third week of November. Throughout the past two weeks many parishes have remembered loved ones who have died. For some it will have begun at home with people writing down the names of their deceased loved ones on a sheet and returning it to their local church where prayers have been said. People also visited cemeteries where prayer services were held. November weather can be so unpredictable but they have been well attended. The cynic might say what a waste of time but to a person of faith it is good, healthy and normal to remember a loved one who has died.

Grieving is a slow journey, it needs time and often with small faltering steps. Any ritual, prayer service or way of remembering a loved one who has died brings with it great healing and comfort. These sacred spaces when we remember and pray for those who have died will continue during the coming days of November. In many of these spaces the following prayer will often be said: “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, may perpetual light shine upon them and may they rest in peace. Amen”