It's a gloomy Monday morning and we're attending a funeral in a freezing cold church in Bellville. The rain is coming down in torrents outside. It is a Cape winter like those of my childhood.
We're in the throes of the third Covid wave, so we're all dotted around on hard benches - literally, as there are red stickers indicating an acceptable ‘social distance'.
I'm grateful for the mask keeping my cheeks warm in the icy air. My toes are slowly going numb inside my shoes, like when I was a teenager and rode my bike to school in winter. In the afternoons, my school shoes had to be put in the warming drawer to dry out so I could wear them again the next day.
It's my friend Tony's funeral. He was a huge man: in body, heart, soul and spirit. Until the big C came to get him. All too soon. He loved laughing. And cooking. And hanging out. And he was an avid Home reader.
During one of our first get-togethers, he made us a pot of offal, something I'd never eaten before. My lips and cheeks glistened that night and soon thereafter I cooked my first offal dish, using Sonja Jordt's recipe from an old issue of Home.
My very first editorship of a magazine was back in the early 2000s. In those days, I was convinced that no one ever read my editor's note, except perhaps my mom - who still had a clipping from back then on her fridge door the other day. In the meantime, I've realised that quite a few people do indeed read those notes, and Tony was one of them.
We often chatted about renovation projects and gardening, and, of course, about food. And he would regularly comment on my editorial. His wife says that in his final days he laughed out loud at my use of the word "promenade" as a verb in the April issue.
Sometimes, we would think back on those days when I was still a rookie at the Afrikaans daily Die Burger and he was the circulation manager. It was a privilege and a pleasure to meet up again when we became ‘in-laws'.
In the church, the usual rituals bring comfort. There's a picture of Tony, and beautiful bright flowers. The pastor's words are sincere. We sing Amazing Grace. I bravely start each new line, but the words get stuck in my throat.
In the front row, Tony's wife sits between their two sons. Luckily, they can huddle close together, despite the red dots, and I'm thankful for that because the young men enfold their mother in their arms with so much love. Caring, compassionate, good old tactile warmth. The comfort of touch.
And I think: that right there is "amazing grace". May we all experience such grace again soon. And until then, find ‘warmth' in other meaningful ways during these cold days of Covid-19 and unrest...
Home's D cor School, presented in partnership with Mr Price Home, is back and this year we're holding it in Cape Town and Johannesburg. If you're keen to attend. There's already a waiting list after last year's inaugural event, so don't delay!
Our popular special issue Home Yard is on sale now. If lockdown is getting you down, head outdoors when spring arrives and get busy in your backyard or front garden. This issue is once again full of inspiring ideas for all your outdoor areas. Find it at a store near you and if you can't get hold of a copy, send an email to editor@homemag.co.za.
The next issue of Home is on sale on 10 September.
