I was sorry to hear of Clare’s passing, but be sure that his many friends and church family grieve with you, but also thank God for his many and valued contributions to the life of the community and the church. He seems to have had many gifts, and to have used them so well that I’m sure God will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou in to the joy of thy Lord.”

I know from my own experience that time heals, or almost heals all wounds, but that the hole in the heart left by the departed person never completely closes. However, I also believe that, when one feels their loss most keenly, those now in the spirit world are with us to strengthen and comfort us. The communion of the saints is a very real thing. For that matter, so is the after life. Nothing is more certain than that life continues, and that we move on to a wider and richer life elsewhere.