so many babies and children ...

so many babies and children ..., originally uploaded by cooliceblue.

Monday 13 September

Had a keratosis removed from the side of my face first thing. Local anasthetic injection followed by scraping off. Then train to London. As it's later tthan usual and I'm not feeling too well I took the tube to Old Street person and walked through the nonconformist graveyard. Noticed a couple of interesting gravestones so came back at lunchtime and took a couple of photos.

This family headstone set me thinking. One person in the family lives in to her 90s. So many children die. As a result did people have a different attitude to death of a child. If it's something that is frequent and common does it have less of an impact than today. Or was the death of your child just as unexpected, devastating and wrong. Poor people.

And if you are the only one who lives to maturity do you suffer from survivors guilt ... in the way that some survivors of the holocaust do.

Actually I suspect many parents whose child dies as a result of cancer fell a sort of guilt about living and carrying on when their child has died.

The other photo is of the grave of Thomas Rosewell - died 1692. In a sermon preached on 14 September that year Rosewell allegedly declared that ‘we have had two wicked kings now together who have suffered popery to be introduced under their noses…'. On 25 October 1684 Thomas was tried in Westminster Hall by “Hanging” Judge Jeffries for high treason and sentenced to death. Two months later, after widespread protest, he was pardoned.

Feeling unwell so went to bed early.

Reasons to be positive
# Our health service and standard of living mean that there are less deaths in childhood
# Watching TV in bed with Val
# Knowing there is a surprise present arriving for Val in the post tomorrow.