Saturday, April 14, 2012

The Clan

It's been a tough week - my dearest friend's Dad died suddenly over the Easter weekend. R & I met each other on the first day of our nursing training some 39 years ago as 17 year olds & formed an instant bond & I met her Mum & Dad not long after. R & her family have lived overseas & interstate for the past 22 years, & although we catch up as often as we can, I still miss her every day. She was my bridesmaid & is Godmother to Son # 5. R's been back in town for the week supporting her Mum & we have spent lots of time together. Yesterday we said goodbye to her Dad & if a funeral can be truly wonderful, this one was.

Although born in Australia, her Dad carried his Scottish heritage with pride. We were close neighbours for many years when I lived in our previous house & I would often see him walking down our street with his trademark Scottish tartan cap sitting jauntily on his head..... & I always felt reassured that all was well in my world. Yesterday that same cap sat atop his casket & as the pipes played him out of the church, it was the end of an era. So this image of his clan tartan is a tribute to one of my extended clan.


Slàn leat

Photobucket

9 comments:

  1. I hope that the pain and sadness of losing her dear Dad is eventually overshone by the realisation that he made the world a better place in many wonderful ways...the description of him walking through the neighbourhood in his jaunty cap is just one precious example of this.

    Big hug from afar Lovely.

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  2. A lovely tribute to one of your extended clan Millie.
    xx

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  3. Thinking of you and your dear friend, her Dad sounds one of a kind...gone but never forgotten.
    love dj

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  4. A beautiful tribute to a dear man Millie....sadness I know, but also wonderful memories
    Lesley
    xx

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  5. Millie, What a lovely tribute to both your friend R and her Dad... I am sure having you close by has helped her enormously over the last few days... xv

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  6. Beautifully put, Millie. I'm sure you've been a tower of strength to your friend R. I am not good at funerals. I tear up just arriving and blubber my way through. I hate it when people start saying nice things as I can really feel their pain. I've even shed a tear reading this. Great memories to look back on though after the pain has passed.

    Jennifer xx

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  7. The best testimonial to anyone's life is not just to be missed by many but to be remembered by many. He will live on every time someone relays a memory, event or conversation they shared with him and that will change your friends tears to smiles.

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  8. His tartan cap on his casket makes me weep. What a lovely tribute to your dear friend's father....
    xojoan

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  9. What a nice tribute to your friend and her father. It's been hard watching my friends go through the death of a parent. And sad that I know the same pain. But it's so good to know my friends were there with me.

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And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
~W.H. Auden

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