MOTHERING SUNDAY

Mothering Sunday Church unfolded in the regular manner, it actually is starting to feel familiar but my logic jump when bits and pieces are done in a different order than the BAS, actually the order is not the BCP, the pieces are the similar but the order :( :( :( After church invited with robe still on, to visit a widow whose husband was a member of the cathedral but he had been bed ridden for years with the wife doing his total care. Eventually get to the house, roads off the main road are hard earth with huge crevasses that are created in the rains, they are a challenge for a four wheel drive car, this is all within the city of Sunyani. Family are sitting outside in a circle of chairs. We go in a single file, shaking the hand of each member, after we are seated, they offer a drink, then a family member stood and asked what our business was, the People’s Warden told her that we heard that the husband had died, he was a member, so we came to pay our condolences, she thanked us for coming and then all of the family got up and went around the circle shaking everyone’s hand. All sitting quietly and someone starting singing a hymn and everyone joined in (the advantage of Ghana being still very much an oral society, everyone knew all the words) as several were sung, new people came and went around the circle shaking everyone’s hand and joined the singing. The Warden stood and gave words of comfort which the daughter stood and thanked him. Fr. Martin then stood and gave a short homily of comfort and a fairly long prayer. (THIS is ALL IN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE). The ritual around funeral is very exact and everyone knows the drill. In a week the family will met for another ritual where at that time the funeral arrangements will be told. So we all stand to leave, shake hands around the circle and leave. Home by 2pm. Quite hungry, they seemed to go without or delay meals and no one seems to get bother (meanwhile I am starving), lunch is the one meal that seem to get skipped, have not figured that out yet. Now have eaten and the tv is telling me how to clean up the yard to keep Ghana clean, garbage management is a major issue, now for football (soccer) on tv