A tough but uplifting day
So, it's been a difficult, but oddly lovely day. Jane and I haven't seen each other in the flesh since the whole Covid crap started last spring, so it was great to catch up, it was just a shame it wasn't under happier circumstances.
In the end, however, Jane - with the support of her brother and sister - was an absolute trooper, and I'm so proud of her.
After the wake, Mr D and I went back with Jane to her home, and as Mr D is executor of her Husband, Michael's estate. He had to sign a few forms and work through a little bit of paperwork.
Jane met Michael through a mutual friend in 1998. On the face of it, they seemed like an odd couple as Michael was 27 years ollder than Jane, which made him almost double her age when they met. But given the sort of person Jane was, it just worked.
Let me explain! Jane's life has not been easy. Before she was a year old, she almost died from meningitis. She survived, but it left her with hydrocephalus and during the course of her life, Jane has had over twenty major surgeries of which over half have been brain surgeries. Jane lost both her parents before she was twenty one. Her Mum died on an operating table when Jane was sixteen and her Dad died of diabetes-related problems when she was twenty. This left her with two younger siblings to support, and she did them proud. They have both grown up into excellent people. She also has an older brother with severe mental disabilities, and throughout her life she has been an advocate for him in the support facility where he lives. Jane's illness left her with very poor eyesight and mild learning difficulties which she overcame throughout her school life and through her perseverence, she eventually qualified as a hospital nursery nurse, a job that she excelled at for many years.
Given all the issues that she had to covercome, it's no surprise that Jane comes across as mature for her years, and so when she met Michael, she was thirty going on fifty, and they clicked so well.
They got married in 2004 and I was thrilled to be Jane's bridesmaid, 10 years after she had been my witness at my wedding.
So, this afternoon, Jane and I were looking back through some old photos, and I came across these two lovely pictures of her and Michael from her wedding... Mr D was the photographer!
The other big bridesmaid is Jane's younger sister, Zena and the little bridesmaid is her niece, Ellie.
In the end, however, Jane - with the support of her brother and sister - was an absolute trooper, and I'm so proud of her.
After the wake, Mr D and I went back with Jane to her home, and as Mr D is executor of her Husband, Michael's estate. He had to sign a few forms and work through a little bit of paperwork.
Jane met Michael through a mutual friend in 1998. On the face of it, they seemed like an odd couple as Michael was 27 years ollder than Jane, which made him almost double her age when they met. But given the sort of person Jane was, it just worked.
Let me explain! Jane's life has not been easy. Before she was a year old, she almost died from meningitis. She survived, but it left her with hydrocephalus and during the course of her life, Jane has had over twenty major surgeries of which over half have been brain surgeries. Jane lost both her parents before she was twenty one. Her Mum died on an operating table when Jane was sixteen and her Dad died of diabetes-related problems when she was twenty. This left her with two younger siblings to support, and she did them proud. They have both grown up into excellent people. She also has an older brother with severe mental disabilities, and throughout her life she has been an advocate for him in the support facility where he lives. Jane's illness left her with very poor eyesight and mild learning difficulties which she overcame throughout her school life and through her perseverence, she eventually qualified as a hospital nursery nurse, a job that she excelled at for many years.
Given all the issues that she had to covercome, it's no surprise that Jane comes across as mature for her years, and so when she met Michael, she was thirty going on fifty, and they clicked so well.
They got married in 2004 and I was thrilled to be Jane's bridesmaid, 10 years after she had been my witness at my wedding.
So, this afternoon, Jane and I were looking back through some old photos, and I came across these two lovely pictures of her and Michael from her wedding... Mr D was the photographer!
The other big bridesmaid is Jane's younger sister, Zena and the little bridesmaid is her niece, Ellie.