Looking Back, Forward, and Up.

Grandma was missing Grandpa today. She doesn’t mention it often, but it must be there all the time, though not always at the forefront of her mind. She is one of the strongest people I know - she doesn’t fight with reality, or wish for the past, but makes the most of each day she’s given. She said she wanted to be strong especially at the start, because she wanted Grandpa to be proud of her. We all are proud of her. She didn’t ignore her grief - a process which changes, but never ends - she acknowledges it. And uses it to comfort other people who have experienced loss. Today she phoned a friend who recently lost her husband and said with a refreshing honesty, “I’ll not ask you how you are, because I know it’s rubbish.”
This evening we flicked through old photos - plenty of stories, and laughs, and always new discoveries to be made from old memories.