It was a sad day in the valley as we farewelled M. Her funeral service was in the same church she and L were married in, in Hendra in Brisbane. (It was pretty amazing that a car started following us along the Motorway at stayed with us as we changed lanes in traffic and turned onto the Gateway and continued to follow us past Eagle Farm and all the way to the Church. M picked quite early that they were also coming to see M off.)
It was a good turnout and 6 of us (that we know of) from the Valley went - but we were only a few of many. The Church was Catholic and we weren't sure how formal the Service would be - and, as it turned out, it wasn't really. That, I think, is how M would have wanted it. There was a mix of the religious and personal - with her sister-in-law giving a brief overview of her life - and as S commented, it was fitting that M was portrayed as her own person rather than only through her relationships eg as a wife, mother etc. Her children spoke, as well as N's wife, and L. L is an amazing speaker - he makes it seem as though he's doing it off the cuff and he gets a little sidetracked but always gets himself back on to where he meant to be. And the things he said and the points he made were incredible - coming together in a fitting tribute to a wonderful woman taken too quickly.
The whole service was that - and the wake which was held at Eagle Farm - a place of many happy memories and associations for the family - and not just because of the racing connection. One story L told was of a fairly recent visit to Brisbane when he and M stayed overnight and decided on the spur of the moment to go to the Eagle Farm Markets - where among the stalls and the Moreton Bay Figs, M reached for L's hand and they walked hand in hand (something we didn't normally do - said L) around the Markets. This is the stuff of memories. I can't remember who the quote is attributed to but I do tend to agree with it: we remember moments not days.
As we remember M - it's time to go and make some more moments - or at least recognize we have had them!
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