"Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy". (Anon)
On Thursday last my dad died. He had struggled for some months, his still active and alert mind trapped in an increasingly frail and failing body. It was very hard to watch his deterioration, knowing that there was nothing anyone could do to reverse or halt it. My dad will always be remembered as someone who was witty, charming, intelligent, skilful, caring, hardworking, patient and above all generous. Though that's not to say he was without his faults. After all, he was human, like the rest of us. He was the last remaining member of my original little family, the family I was born into and grew up in, the family which helped shape me into being who I am. He was there for me when my brother and my mother died. I was there to hold his hand as he slipped away.