Birthdays and funerals

It is my aunt's birthday today. I naturally hope she will have enjoyed it as she planned with friends.
My father also went to a funeral. He was the sole friend there. All the other mourners were family. It is a sad commentary on the life of a man who was very ill for a long period of time.
I checked on an elderly woman this morning, as I do each Monday and Thursday. She was up but did not stand to give me her usual hug. When I returned an hour later she still had not had the energy to make herself breakfast. She lives alone and, like my father's friend, there will be very few mourners at her funeral - indeed even less.
Family is important but friends are also important. They help us to identify and understand ourselves. They give our lives shape and meaning.