On death and dying…the saga continues

I am very thankful for the very many people who have expressed their condolences to me. because so many people I know have died in the last six weeks!
I feel faintly embarrassed …and will not be surprised if you 'unfriend' me for fear of your life!
Let me try and catalogue it! (I think I mainly traced it on my homiletic blog…coromandelpreachings.blogspot.com.au )
There was first all my bikie friend!
Ken.
Who died a few months ago,
when I first came here he was so excited because I was born about 30-40 miles (for so they were in those days) from where he was born
His colouring, accent, private manner, joviality
betrayed our common humanity
He was of the same ethnicity as me…a Cumbrian!
Sometimes we spoke our traditional language
much to the bemusement of his beloved Heather
who was an easterner!
He had the same Cumbrian hair and complexion that I do
and the  freckles
and knew the Lakes
much better than I ever did.
A truculent but very fine Christian man!

And there was Peter
who I dubbed (I hope not too patronisingly) the Tidy Priest.
whose attempt to be a faithful Christian father
was sometimes earnest
perhaps too earnest
but whose faithful ministry involved
thinking it was important to care for the people of a few small country towns
Bordertown, Port Elliot, Goolwa
And who earlier (in this parish as a Lay Reader) thought it was important that small communities
Clarendon, Meadows, Scott's Creek…and others
should have at least Morning or Evening Prayer.
In his latter days he was one of the 5 or 6 who prayed daily for people
who were sick, in strife, or just in need.
Few think this intercession is important today

And then there was Tom…reader and arguer
who just simply declined.
Very sad and much loved
but a firey, and perhaps, difficult man
who had an expansive intellect
and is much loved and a great loss.
Since then Nancy has died, and then Kay
And amidst all this my erstwhile father-in-law
Ron Ingleton has died.
he and I, quite close,
will miss each other.
So my earnest petition
is that in this Christmas season
Please no one else die!