But here’s what she left behind.

There is a G’ma (and in my case, a Mum) sized hole in the world my darling niece.  She’s gone.  Every day the sense of something missing haunts me.  It’s a niggly feeling to start with, poking around in the back of my mind – a little like when I leave home for a long trip and I get this sense that I forgot to do something or pack something. It’s irksome and just a little unsettling at first, but as soon as I pay attention to it – whammo! – I remember. She’s gone.

I do hope that you are not as haunted as I am my sweets, but I do know for sure that you will be missing her too, greatly.

It’s almost been three months since she left us, and I keep wondering when life will hit this ‘new normal’ we’ve been promised.  I guess that’s why the saying ‘one day at a time’ was invented – for people like us, with G’ma and Mum sized holes in the world.  Perhaps one of these days-we-take-at-a-time will bring a new sense of normal, a feeling that we are now okay.  Until then, let’s just love each other a little harder.

So, the hiatus from lessons has been an unplanned one, but one I knew you would understand.  I’m ready to get back on the lesson-horse, so to speak, especially if you are ready to get back on with me?  I’ll have to hustle to catch up with my goal of 17 lessons this year!  The next lesson I had planned has gone out the window (for now), and I want to give you something about her … from her … for her.  I sat in the sun with a coffee and a notebook and challenged myself to jot down 17 lessons with love that your G’ma gave to me.  The exercise taught me that she gave me in excess of 1700 lessons, and the 17 I give to you here came super quickly and without much (or maybe even any) conscious thought.  I think your G’ma was sitting in the sun with me that day.

So here you go – 17 G’ma lessons with love: Continue reading →