A Touch Of Fairyland

What ever Edera might say about my special qualities I have to point out that it was pure luck and a measure of inattention on my part which had us sitting in the Tower Ballroom Blackpool yesterday afternoon. I’d always wanted to see it live having watch Come Dancing on TV back in the 1960’s. O the glamour, the thousands of sequins. The frothy frocks. At that time it all seemed like a million miles away from where I sat. I’d not have contemplated wearing anything like what I saw, nor would I have danced ballroom either. I was far too shy for that sort of thing. Yesterday there was quite a show of fancy frocks as it happened. A BBC film crew were in house making a documentary about how people entertained themselves between the wars. Melvin Bragg, no less, was doing on-camera interviews while the lovely couples danced away in the background. Ah, a touch of fairyland amidst all that we have been dealing with.

Days have been full, night turns into morning, as now. Soon Edera will be winging her way back to Japan. Sad. Our mission these past weeks has, among many other things, been to walk boxes of stuff to the ground floor of the house. And then out of the front door and into the car! Iain’s belongs will not be lonely. The charity shops are happy to receive donations.

After Goso died, my ordination sister mentioned earlier, all of her belongings were brought to the monks common room. We all had the opportunity to adopt her things, I particularly remember the pair of bright orange gaiters I used for years afterwards. Always remembering her as I tied them on. She had walked with them in McKinley National Park, as it was called then. Rev. Master said at the time that a persons belongings shouldn’t be lonely.

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3 thoughts on “A Touch Of Fairyland”

  1. That’s right: a person’s things should never be lonely. We helped my Dad take so many things of my Mom to the Hospice store, where all the proceeds go to help the hospice. My Mom’s costume jewelry was given to a neighbor across the street who works with immigrants to the USA, some illegal, who have nothing and they were overjoyed with such a prize and the little girls laughed and played “dress up” for hours. What a delight! Each one of us kids, of course, received many physical things. My oldest sister has my Mom’s favorite silver and turquoise cross which is on a chain with the same one as my grandmother’s, which was given to her after my grandma’s passing. I have lots and lots of my Mom’s art supplies and many of the greeting cards she had made in her last year of life. One of them I gave to a colleague at work who lost her mother unexpectedly on the 2nd of August. Love and Merit, flowing out and on and on…wonderful!

  2. Hi Rev Mugo

    I like that comment about a persons things never being lonely. It reminds me that the sailing dinghy I shared with a recently deceased friend here needs me to give it a good home. As I sail round these parts in it I’ll carry the thoughts of him and ‘romantically’ think that he’ll enjoy the travels he never got to make.

    In gassho, Kevin

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