Happy Birthday Mum

Today would have been my lovely Mums 74th Birthday except, that sadly, she passed away from cancer last May.  I have found losing a parent incredibly hard to deal with and think about her every day.  She was diagnosed with cancer (myeloma) when she was 65 and even though she was always told it was treatable but not curable, I think' as the years ticked by' I just pushed that piece of information to the back of my mind. She never complained and apart from a couple of occasions she never looked ill.  My grandparents - her parents - both lived until they were 94 and so I feel cheated really of another 20 years with her.  I last saw her in person at the very beginning of March last year when she and my Dad came down and stayed a couple of nights to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary.  It was a lovely visit with a nice walk along Teignmouth seafront and a coffee out and then a family meal at our village Hotel on the evening of their anniversary.  She was told by her consultant in October 2019 that the treatment she was on was no longer working.  She tried two other drugs but sadly neither had any effect on the cancer and then she was told there was nothing more that could be done. Four weeks later she was gone.

                                     

Onto happier news and this morning Daughter S arrived home for her Easter break from university.  We have been for a family walk this afternoon and tonight we are belatedly celebrating her 21st Birthday with a chinese take away and champagne.  We are then going to watch 'The Dig' on netflix. It is lovely to all be together again and I shall savour every minute of her being here.

So tonight I shall be raising my glass to S and also my Mum, a bittersweet day.