Tonight I am very full of food, and contemplating a day of light meals tomorrow. I’m not complaining, as it has been good to spend time with friends and family, catching up on their lives.

Lunch today was particularly enjoyable, not just because our children were not with us and therefore there was no little bored voice asking when we might be going home repetitively. Instead we joined a congregational couple as they celebrated their Ruby Wedding Anniversary.

Those who were there were in the main were people who were associated with the congregation, either today or in the past. The couple themselves are both elders, and it was good to be part of something that gave a clear indication of how the church and their faith have been an important part of who they are individually and as a couple.

Today was very much a day of celebration, but a celebration of all that their married life has asked them to encounter, and in amongst the joy there were tinges of more difficult times. The generosity of today was not just the food and hospitality, but also about being invited to recognise that true celebration of life can only happen when we embrace the lows along with the highs and the ordinariness.