Compassion Autumn Winter 2023

13 tcf.org.uk COMPASSION | MEMORY CORNER It is now 10 years since our daughter Úna died in the Scottish mountains. She was in a party of six young people climbing above Glencoe, and on their descent were caught by an avalanche which swept away Úna, and three of her friends. Another was seriously injured and the sixth physically unscathed. She had completed her medical degree at Newcastle University 6 months earlier and was working as a junior doctor in Edinburgh. She loved outdoor life, and at every available opportunity met up with her Uni friends for more adventure. She was at her happiest and life was good. They were part of the Wilderness Medics Society of Newcastle Medical School. To join was quite competitive. The application form included the question, “What do you enjoy most about being outdoors?” All her fun and zest for life are included in her response which she characteristically completed in verse. This is what she wrote — original spelling mistakes uncorrected! The shared chocolate buttons on a mountain summit. The midnight sun during a Scout-camp in Iceland. The awe-inspiring uninhabited landscapes you stumble across. The bath after six days on the Himalayan Annapurna circuit. The numbness of swimming in the sea. The burnt bacon cooked on a tranjia. The perfect wave on a body board. The smugness of cycling past cars stuck in traffic. The majestic peaks of the Mourne Mountains when the cloud clears. The worlds' most scenic toilets while trying to keep out of sight of fellow hill-walkers. The panic felt during the out-of-control black run on the French Alps. The stomach-crunching laughter of a stumble in a cowpat. The taste of salt spray. The patter of rain on your tent. The smell of mountain air. The stories shared on family hikes in the Canadian Rockies. The self-sufficiency of arriving home with a bucket-full of sampfire collected at low tide. The shooting stars caught in the corner of your eye whilst lying on the beach. The glimpses of porpoises chasing after your sailing boat. The inexplicable sense of being truly alive when outdoors. Remembering Úna Shared by Owen and Mary Finnegan What do you enjoy most about being outdoors? Elizabeth Shared by Sandra Thorpe Remembering Elizabeth Rachel Rose who died suddenly aged just 5 months. She would have been aged 30 on 29th October. A pink paper heart with Elizabeth's name one side and the following words on the other were placed on every seat at her thanksgiving service. "The smallest star shines the brightest and pierces the darkness". Every Christmas we place a silver foil star-shaped balloon at the top of our Christmas tree. Always in our hearts, Mum, Dad and big sisters, Jennie and Holly Una Finnegan 2009