Not just any Sheila.

We had some bad news over the weekend that came in the ominous form of missed phone calls from my sister at a time when she should have been in bed. My Nana Anders suffered a sudden and massive stroke from which she did not regain consciousness on Saturday morning. She passed away Monday evening.

You vaguely prepare yourself for things like this and in the event join the family rationalizing it’s inevitability, appreciating the swiftness, being grateful for the lack of pain or loss of mind.… trying to pull some sort of positivity out of something which is a deeply saddening event. It’s an end I think most of us would pick given a choice - but pragmatism aside, it’s quite obvious that nothing but time is going to stop how much it hurts that you will never again see some who has been such a big part of your life. Someone who you love very dearly. There was so much more to say, so much more to do and you can’t help but feel a little bit cheated.

But that’s the way the cookie crumbles, and I know I’ve been truly blessed to have an almost full deck of grandparents until 27. But in our tiny little Anders family, where christmases, birthdays, mothers days and idle Sundays have been shared by the same seven characters for over 15 years, she will be sorely and obviously missed. As will that gingernut biscuit cake she made.

No need for comments on this one, just to take a suggestion from me that you enjoy each day you have and to love your loved ones as best you can.

xxH