Today I attended the funeral of a dear friend and neighbour.  Peggy was 95 when she passed over and I miss her dreadfully.  Buried on the 13th today adds up to 13 so Death really iis prominent today.

I moved in to my house almost 20 years ago.  It was some months before I met the lady next door,  one day she knocked on my door and asked if the previous people had left a forwarding address as she wanted to send them a Christmas card, I said they had not but believed their post was being redirected so send it to our address and I am sure it will be forwarded.   She was quite miffed, I remember saying to Martin that evening that the lady next door was really snobby.   Little did I know that as the years past, we would form a friendship and a bond so close I cannot put it in to words.    I would love to tell you that Peggy was full of wisdom, but bless her she really wasn’t, she worried about everything, and if she didn’t have anything to worry about she would worry about that.     We would occasionally go out together where she would nurse a frothy coffee for a good hour because she didn’t want the time to end.  I can tell you so many stories about Peggy, giggling in the jewellers shop window when I threatened to go in and buy something expensive, she loved it when I went shoe shopping I would take them round to show her, and she would always comment on how high the heels were (they were never really that high).  She called me ‘my Kim’ and her little face would light up when I popped in.  I always made sure I had a story to tell, well you know my life, there’s always a story to tell.  She loved to listen to what was going on in my busy life.   She would sit there listening intently with a mouthful of toffee or chocolate and wonder why her trousers were getting tight.  Peggy loved her sweeties.

A few days before she died, I was sitting by her bedside with her son, when her deceased husband appeared to me, I asked him if he was here to take her, no not yet he said, I told her son what had happened, I was reluctant as he probably already thinks I’m nuts, about 30 seconds after I told him, Peggy woke and said, Bill just popped in to see if I was still here, her son nearly fell off his chair.

On the night she died, Peggy was moved to a private room, I walked in and Bill her husband was there quietly waiting, he was holding a beautiful bouquet of white freesia, I asked are you here to take her, soon he replied and a at 3.33am Peggy stopped fighting, closed her eyes and went home.

I feel so sad without her, she was a wonderful kind, gentle lady, and a lady in every sense of the word.  Peggy I miss you, a little light went out when you left us, but your love shines on and I am so glad you were such a huge part of my life.

Death, I don’t like you much, death is suppose to bring rebirth, but for anyone who has lost someone they love I think we all struggle with that idea.   Living life a different way maybe, but one thing is for sure, life is for living. Don’t waste a second, it does not matter if you are 25 or 95, live the dream, make it happen for we are only here a short time.