Quote by Mike Brown

Last week I went to a funeral. As it turned out it was a stunning tribute to a legendary gentleman. The morning of the funeral a friend who lives in Ireland said he was sending his Mum on his behalf. I said I would look out for her and give her a hug. In that moment I felt hugely privileged to be able to attend and remarked that I would catch up with him after.

Then life happened and inorder to get to the funeral I had to leave super early and battle the M25 – for people who don’t live in the UK imagine the biggest motorway built to ease congestion, that is absolutely the worst congested road in the county….now you can appreciate what the M25 experience can be.

I left plenty of time and arrived early. I was flying solo on this trip so I spoke to various people as we waited to enter the crematorium. It was a hugely overcrowded event with standing room seeping out of the venue. I was making small talk with another friend and noticed an older lady alone. She looked lost in thought, sad and isolated. I remarked that going to these places isn’t just sad for the occasion we’re here for, but often takes us back to when we may have visited previously, she looked familiar but I couldn’t place her. I was instantly concerned that the lady wasn’t ok.

My friend and I managed to get two of the last three seats, then next to me sat the lady I had seen outside. My extrovert skills kicked in and I simply had to check where I knew her from and ensure she felt loved. I asked her if she was a neighbour of the deceased. She remarked that she was there on her son’s behalf…before she could complete the word ‘son’ I had leapt out of my skin, flown to the moon and came down shouting his name! She confirmed she was my friends Mum and I threw my arms around her, explaining that only that morning had I promised him that I would hug her.

Suddenly the sadness I had seen outside evaporated, she smiled and I cant describe how her eyes glistened. She remarked on how she was feeling and I remarked that she was not alone, we then briefly spoke about when we last saw each other – approximately 25 years a go in Lincoln, she remembered the occasion as it was her sisters birthday. The service began and we simply sat next to each other, I was honestly blown away. This was not a coincidence. There were hundreds of people in the room – somehow we were sat next to each other.

I truly believe in magic, I deeply believe that there are powers above us that we don’t understand, nor do we need to understand- that are often working in our favour. I believe there are people we have connections to, perhaps from previous lives or connections too complex for us to understand. I do know that me noticing her outside the venue and then being sat next to her was not a coincidence.

I instantly knew I wanted to capture this moment on the blog, it might sound small but in the moment it felt mighty. It felt uplifting and it made me feel incredible. The message from today’s blog is simple; Stay open to serendipitous moments and be open to magic enriching our lives.