If We Were Having Coffee #7

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imageIf we were having coffee, I would tell you that it has been quite an emotional week.

On Sunday, my oldest friend, M, lost her mother to cancer. Yesterday, The Bloke and I travelled up north to attend the funeral. I’ve been quite lucky in life in that I haven’t had to attend many of them, but this means that I don’t cope very well during the service section of the day. True to form, I was a snivelling wreck, particularly when I saw another old friend, J, that I hadn’t spoken to in quite a while. All the way through school, M, J and I were a trio, and over the years we’ve created hundreds of memories, but over the last year J and I had drifted apart – busy lives got in the way. J is currently six months pregnant, and when she and her parents arrived we both burst into tears and gave each other a massive hug. It was truly nice to see her, although I wish the circumstances for our meeting would have been better.

The service was beautiful, and so many people had turned up from all over the country to say goodbye that there weren’t enough seats in the crematorium. M was able to read a poem that she had written herself. I admired her strength – I don’t think I would have been able to do the same – and we all laid a single flower on top of the coffin as we left. It was a beautiful send-off for a beautiful lady…

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I went back to work after a thoroughly wonderful few weeks, and I’ve had one of the best teaching weeks that I’ve experienced in a long time. I think that it’s mainly because my boss has returned from maternity leave so my timetable is lighter and therefore the pressure is less. I have still had a lot work to do, but for once I’ve been able to deal with it without being interrupted with random bit of paperwork that need immediate completion. I’ve been able to get in the classroom and enjoy my lessons – the weather has been beautiful, the students have been in a good mood, and we’re now reaching the final stretch of the academic year. After handing in my resignation about a month ago, the weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I have just over 40 working days left, and the job hunt begins!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I have been a blogging douchebag this week. Comments have been left unanswered, posts have yet to be posted, and I’ve barely touched any social media. The next few days are going to be spent catching up – on busy days I miss the interaction and enjoyment that I gain from the blogging world. I’ve decided to start a mini series about the different places to eat and things to do in my beloved city, Birmingham, and I fully intend on enjoying all the things it has to offer over the next few weeks. I rarely do guest posts, but I have one lined up for the 1st May over at Hugh’s Views and News, and hope you can join me there! I also have lots of advertising opportunities available!

The ‘If We Were Having Coffee’ series was created by Part Time Monster. Everyone is invited to join in, and you are welcome to share your coffee posts on Twitter every Saturday with #WeekendCoffeeShare – hop on over and join in the fun!

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog, and don’t forget to visit my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/suzie81speaks

 

85 thoughts on “If We Were Having Coffee #7”

  4. Hugs to you and your friend, I’ve been there and it’s awful. I’m about to pour myself some coffee, I think it is about time I did a coffee share post 😉

  7. Pingback: If We Were Having Coffee | jillypopmusic

  8. If we were having coffee, I would tell you that it’s really kind of you to make it to the funeral despite the way you feel about them. If we were having coffee, I would tell you that it’s inspiring that you are still dedicated to your job despite only having 40 days left. And if we were having coffee, I would leave you for a second to get more foam, then tell you that you are not being a blogging d*bag because things happen and your readers will totally understand and support you. Pass the scones, please?

    • Thanks Sahar – I think you may have misunderstood the context of the part about the funeral. I wanted to go – the lady in question was a wonderful woman and i very much wanted to support my friend and celebrate her life… Thanks so much for being understanding – what a lovely thing to say! Would you like cream and jam on your scones?

  10. If we were having coffee I would tell you that there is no way anyone would ever consider you a ‘blogging douchebag’. You needed time and you took it. That is simply self care. ❤

  11. Looking forward to the Birmingham tour! It will be especially exciting when you venture into the “no go” areas… :-p LOL [Yes, I’m kidding, and yes, that’s a reference to your earlier blog entry that responded to Fox News’ slanted (i.e. apparently demented?) interpretation of Birmingham.] 🙂

  12. Actually, we were having coffee… at least, I was. I would love to actually do that someday, if I ever make it to your lovely country…. on my bucket list… I am so sorry your friend lost her mother to cancer… that is hard. I think of you often, I know a perfect job is waiting for you and I cannot wait to read about how you landed the perfect job for yourself. DAF

  14. My best friend’s mum also recently lost her battle with a rare for of cancer. My friend has been so brave, but it has been really hard for her. It’s in times like these when we need to stand by our friends so they know we’re there for them. You sound like you’re doing a good job, so don’t worry! My thoughts are with M.

  15. Hi Suzie,
    If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that tonight will probably be my last sleep in the family’s beach house at Palm Beach as my Dad has sold it and we vacate in 3 weeks. I feel heartbroken about it in a sense but also acknowledge that by coming here so much, that many other things have lapsed and there are so many other places we want to go. I have made some wonderful friends here and foods and places and feel like I’m leaving roots behind in the soil, which I can’t get back. I good with the melodrama!! That said, it’s not that hard for me to visit. I did also consider hiding under the house and being the resident ghost. It will be a weekender so they wouldn’t even know I was here during the week, although the family would deifnitely miss me and me them. I have reminded myself of a seed in transit. Who knows what is just around the corner? xx Rowena

    • Thank you very much – really pleased you liked it! Please forgive my late reply – I am catching up on all of my comments, even if it is just to say thank you. I’m sorry you had to leave – it sounds absolutely beautiful!

  18. I’ll be at my Step-Father’s funeral the week after next, and will be looking after my mum that day. She has dementia and we’ve no idea how she is going to react. I don’t know why, but it’s made me think that I really should stay in touch with people and family far more, rather than when life takes an unfortunate turn.

    I’m glad to hear that your job is not being so demanding now, Suzie. I can see you are counting the days, and I’m sure that black cloud that was hanging over you will soon disperse. When that doors finally closes, and a new one opens, go with what is best for you, knowing that you’ll have a huge amount of support from many people.

    Thanks for the coffee, and for listening, Suzie. Thank you as well for the mention.

    • I’m so sorry Hugh – I know you’ve had a really difficult time… Thanks for being so supportive as always, particularly when you have so much going on. Thinking of you and your family x

  19. If we were having coffee, I’d say that I don’t think you could ever be a “blogging douchebag” especially with the week you’ve had. I’m so sorry about your friend’s mum.

    • Please forgive my late reply – I am catching up on all of my comments, even if it is just to say thank you. I really wish I liked tea – my family are big tea drinkers but it always tastes like socks to me!

  25. I’m sorry to hear about your friend’s mother. So sad. Being surrounded by the love and support of friends and family helps, so she’s lucky to have you to lean on.

    Thanks for the coffee. I didn’t realise we lived so close to one another! I’m from Leeds 😀

  26. I hope it’s not to late to have a cup of coffee. I’ve been away all weekend and I’m trying to catch up on the blogs I follow in between everything else. But I always need to make some time for coffee and I could tell you about my trip to London. If I could stay awake.
    Sorry about the funeral, but I’m sure it was good for your friend that you where able to attend.

  27. Dealing with death is rarely easy. Most of us are uncomfortable just thinking about it, so we don’t. Glad you were able to be there to support the friends and family. That is the real purpose of a funeral, to me anyway. I know how I feel about getting behind on things, glad you are getting caught up.

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