Celebrating My Mum

A slightly different Slinky Blog for today, I wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate the life of my Mum and to ask you to do me a favour.

Mum

  Friday will mark the 3^rd anniversary of my Mum’s death and even though it may seem weird to some people Dad, Lucy and I use it as a chance not to mourn her, but to celebrate just how lucky we were to have her. I remember watching “Eastenders” with her many years ago and the Fowlers all traipsed to the cemetery to mourn the passing of Lou Beale (yes it was a long time ago) they seemed to spend the day sat there with a picnic crying. Mum said that she hoped that when her time came we wouldn’t do the same, as she couldn’t imagine anything worse than us sat eating pork pie and picnic eggs in a cemetery and crying.

  My Mum’s death was very sudden, it really was a case of on the Sunday she was fine and by the early hours of Monday morning we were sat in the hospital with a girl I went to school with telling us that she had died. When someone dies it’s the weird things you remember, the nurse was a year older than me at school and she occasionally comes up on my Facebook list of “people I might know”. It’s not her fault, but I always find it odd that someone I went to school with gave me the most devastating of news.

  For those of you who didn’t know my Mum she was a very bright vibrant lady with twinkly eyes and a huge smile, she was amazing in social situations, remembering the tiniest details about people: the football team they supported, the names of their children, where they’d been on holiday etc. She could also strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. When her and Dad came to visit me in Belize, we got the water taxi over to San Pedro for a holiday. Almost immediately she got chatting to a Belizean chap about where he was going and what he was doing.

Mum, Lucy & I , New Year 2009

Mum & I on my 30th Birthday

  My Mum was also a very clever lady and great at thinking through situations logically, Lucy and I always joke that where Mum used to give us reasoned advice on how to deal with people and situations, my Dad would always say “just give him a smack” Although in fairness Dad is getting better at not urging his two daughters to punch those who upset us in the mouth!

Mum & "Santa"

  She was no cook and as children we were treated to her specialities of “Monster Cakes”, which were sponge fairy cakes with hideous coloured dye in and “Rabbits / Mice in a Field” these were either pear or peach halves with chocolate buttons for ears laid on a plate of green jelly.

 We know just how lucky we were to have had her and it is this that we celebrate. On the anniversary of her death we try and do one of her favourite things, whether it’s a trip to her favourite restaurant, her favourite hotel or we just do something that she liked doing.

  So, on Friday, if you could make sure you tell those you love just how much they mean to you, maybe buy the lady in your life a bunch of flowers, treat your kids to their favourite cake or just do something nice for your best friend, use it as a day to celebrate those you love and who you might not tell as often as you should.

  This year the Trinder’s will be heading out for lunch, going to the cinema and playing Frank Sinatra as loud as the stereo will go!