Forgive me, if I indulge myself for a few moments. Last month my dear old Mum passed away. She lived to see her 100th birthday and other than working in my Grandfather’s Post Office, and being an auxiliary nurse during the 2nd World War, she devoted her working life to her family. It must have been difficult bringing up three boys, born between the end of the war and the late 50’s, together with looking after both her parents, who lived with us in a big Victorian house. Dad worked all the hours to pay the bills, and Mum did everything else. When she ‘retired’ as we could all look after ourselves, she spent 27 years volunteering at a day centre for the elderly even though she was, latterly, older than some of the attendees! After Dad died and the ‘jobsworths’ at the Council discovered that Mum was nearly 90 and stopped her from volunteering, the light seemed to go out of her life. Despite her abiding love for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren she felt that she lacked a purpose in life, and slowly illness and old age overtook her. Continue reading Rest in Peace →