Sorry to hear of the loss of your good friend Chas, especially as it’s hit you so hard.
One of the downsides of getting older is seeing those around you fall away.
2020 has gone down in history for the whole world I think as being a bum year because of COVID, but it’s odd that we lost 4 members of our joint families in 2020, none of whom succumbed to the disease.
First to go was my wife’s father in January, 99 years old tower of a man, fighting fit till the very end, but age simply withered him away to next to nothing in a matter of a few heartbreaking months.
Next was my mum’s brother, my uncle who was the very best of the bunch so to speak, 99 years old, WWII veteran and the best sense of humor I’ve ever come across.
Then it was my wife’s uncle who passed away suddenly at 72 years of age, a shock to all.
And the last one was my dear mum at 97 years, who’d spent the last 5 years in an old folks home with dementia, no memory of ever being married for 50 years, or having us 3 kids. That‘s just a devastating situation to cope with knowing you’re own mum doesn’t even know you.
As Shayne said, it’s part of life, and we all know it’s coming to each of us including our nearest and dearest, but the truth is, you can never be prepared for when it actually happens.
So that was a major part of our 2020.... as well as this COVID....
My sister bravely fought cancer for 20+ years and passed away at 67 (my age now) in 2015. I was ready for it. She had the bad news that it had become untreatable at the end of that September, we had a hastily organized family reunion in West Wales in early October (a sort of farewell if you can imagine such a thing), she attended her second daughters - brought forward - wedding at the end of October, and she died on 5th November ...
Oh I was ready for it all right, well prepared, but after getting the news I simply fell apart. Nothing has affected me like that before or since. I’ve always known I was fond of her, but suddenly I realised quite how close we really were. Thanks to Shayne he helped me through that with some worldly wise words...
I don’t have many family photos at all, somehow being divorced and moving house a few times in different parts of the UK and ending up starting a new and wonderful life here in Romania, these things get lost, left behind somewhere or otherwise missing, but last week I came across a photo of my sister (and my parents and older brother) that I took in 1967 when I was 17.... and I don’t remember ever seeing it since I took it 43 years ago. It brought back everything, almost my whole life somehow, just in one brief multi-sentimental moment. My old Gran used to say, “we’re only on loan” and how very true that is....
Chas, you have good memories, hold on to them and cherish them all. I feel for you mate.
Sorry for my rambling folks, all these posts must have triggered something...