Traditionally, saying farewell to a loved one is a sad occasion but after
saying a final goodbye to my Nan today, I feel happy she is finally at peace.
Seeing her laid to rest brought a smile inside rather than tears as though it
sounds strange, I said goodbye to the Nan I knew and loved long ago.
Until I saw her lying peacefully and relived of pain two days ago, my most recent memory of Nan is one which had haunted me but no more. A few years ago, although I was aware he was ill, knew little of just how much it would affect her. However this hit home one sad day when returning from a walk to the shop.
As I turned onto our road, I spotted what I thought was Nan going to our house but she went past it and knocked a few doors down. I assumed from the back, it wasn't her and rather than shout and be embarrassed if proved true, I continued home. However, as I reached the door, I heard a voice and instantly knew it was her as she said "I'm looking for my daughter Carol's house" to which I replied "It's here, Nan, It's me Simon." it sounds weird that I told her who I was but after saying Nan she seemed puzzled.
She said “Yes, Simon is Carol's son, is he in?" At this point, I was struggling to hold back the tears and simply said "not at the moment, but I'll get Carol to ring you when their home." Happy with the reply she said she was going home and in my upsetting state, allowed her to for fear of her reacting if I followed her to make sure she got home safe.
Back home, first thing I did was ring mum and mention Nan had popped round looking puzzled and didn't know who I was. It was then that she told me Nan was suffering with Dementia. In that very moment for me my Nan had gone forever. However, my lasting thoughts of nan will be happy ones after growing up knowing she was always there to talk to and at many times have a good laugh with as such the remainder of this tribute I dedicate to a number of highlights from the joy I shared with her.
Out and About- when thinking of trips with Nan and grandad, three words come to mind, St Helens, Tuebrook and Kirkby. All three bring great memories of bargain markets and exotic odours of meat and fish. St. Helens stands out in the form of a little café in the back streets featuring chips and mushy peas which we visited very often and the famous NSS newsagents which they both joked was the home of Christmas presents.
Extended Visits- one of the joys at a young age when visiting nan and grandad was the weekends staying over with the recent stays after grandad's passing throwing up come classic memories with nan. A notable one was a weekend I stayed over which saw us take part in a Monopoly game which spanned both mornings and evenings and after so long we decided to call it a fair draw.
Gardening- a big part of Nan's life after grandad passed was the upkeep of a very busy garden but my most memorable thought of those days in the garden came when I came close to killing both me and Nan while mowing the lawn. We were chatting and all of a sudden the lead from the mower became caught and sliced under the blades which cut the power and gave me a bit of a shock but luckily Nan moved quickly away from the plug outlet to prevent a fatal accident.
Until I saw her lying peacefully and relived of pain two days ago, my most recent memory of Nan is one which had haunted me but no more. A few years ago, although I was aware he was ill, knew little of just how much it would affect her. However this hit home one sad day when returning from a walk to the shop.
As I turned onto our road, I spotted what I thought was Nan going to our house but she went past it and knocked a few doors down. I assumed from the back, it wasn't her and rather than shout and be embarrassed if proved true, I continued home. However, as I reached the door, I heard a voice and instantly knew it was her as she said "I'm looking for my daughter Carol's house" to which I replied "It's here, Nan, It's me Simon." it sounds weird that I told her who I was but after saying Nan she seemed puzzled.
She said “Yes, Simon is Carol's son, is he in?" At this point, I was struggling to hold back the tears and simply said "not at the moment, but I'll get Carol to ring you when their home." Happy with the reply she said she was going home and in my upsetting state, allowed her to for fear of her reacting if I followed her to make sure she got home safe.
Back home, first thing I did was ring mum and mention Nan had popped round looking puzzled and didn't know who I was. It was then that she told me Nan was suffering with Dementia. In that very moment for me my Nan had gone forever. However, my lasting thoughts of nan will be happy ones after growing up knowing she was always there to talk to and at many times have a good laugh with as such the remainder of this tribute I dedicate to a number of highlights from the joy I shared with her.
Out and About- when thinking of trips with Nan and grandad, three words come to mind, St Helens, Tuebrook and Kirkby. All three bring great memories of bargain markets and exotic odours of meat and fish. St. Helens stands out in the form of a little café in the back streets featuring chips and mushy peas which we visited very often and the famous NSS newsagents which they both joked was the home of Christmas presents.
Extended Visits- one of the joys at a young age when visiting nan and grandad was the weekends staying over with the recent stays after grandad's passing throwing up come classic memories with nan. A notable one was a weekend I stayed over which saw us take part in a Monopoly game which spanned both mornings and evenings and after so long we decided to call it a fair draw.
Gardening- a big part of Nan's life after grandad passed was the upkeep of a very busy garden but my most memorable thought of those days in the garden came when I came close to killing both me and Nan while mowing the lawn. We were chatting and all of a sudden the lead from the mower became caught and sliced under the blades which cut the power and gave me a bit of a shock but luckily Nan moved quickly away from the plug outlet to prevent a fatal accident.
I could go on with more and more memories but the highlights above make me smile enough to feel I have done my best to give a glowing tribute to a great Nan and a wonderful person who graced so many lives and will continue to do long after her passing.
Rest In Peace Nan
Always In Our Hearts
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