Family gathering

We don't have a very close family (there was always some envy because our parents shared a house with the grandparents and my mother's brothers thought we got more from them...) so the only time we see the cousins is at a funeral.

This will probably be the last time we meet. The last of my mother's siblings, uncle George, died last Saturday, aged 96. The funeral is tomorrow. 

It's been five years ago - early in May - when our family last met for another funeral (that of uncle Florimond, aged 95). Our mother and her youngest brother died at a younger age: mum was 78 and uncle Pierre 80. I suppose some of my cousins will be surprised to see me. Last time, in May 2017, I had not et got my diagnosis of cancer and I was a much bigger size than now. You should have seen my hips! In the course of these five years, I have lost all my fat and am now a skinny girl who can wear a size small or even extra small. And also Christine has lost more than 10 kilos in the meantime.

We are the youngest of the cousins and nieces. The two eldest (a daughter of Florimond and the eldest child of George) become 75 this year.  Then come the three daughters of George (74, 72 and 70), then my cousin Freddy (deceased), I and finally my sister and cousin William who are of the same age. Freddy and William are the sons of uncle Pierre and he was closest to my mother. Those cousins often came to visit with us when we were young, and in turn we went to see them in Germany where they lived (uncle Pierre was in the army). When we went to the seaside in summer, cousin Lea (only daughter of Florimond) came along as a kind of nanny. She was nine years older than I but we got along fine. 

All of the cousins, except us, are married (or have been) and most of them have children and grandchildren. Only Marianne and her husband are childless.

In Flanders, a funeral is not always a sad occasion. There will be some tears during the church service (although I'n not sure) but later on, when the family and some close friends gather for the funeral lunch, there surely will be a lot of talk and later on some laughter.