My 89 year old friend Margaret died on Sunday, so I have been feeling a bit sad. Remember her? She has no children of her own and only a couple of great nephews and nieces in Port Elizabeth so visiting the funeral parlour, packing up her room and stuff has become my job. She had been losing blood and had a recent blood transfusion. The doctors decided that they need to know where the blood was coming from so they admitted her last Thursday for a colonoscopy and the gastric "down the throat" version as well. She was discharged the same day and was pretty chirpy and fine when I spoke to her on Friday and again on Saturday morning. I usually visit her and take her any shopping on Sunday afternoon while Michael takes his mother home. Only this time we had a call at lunchtime to tell us that she had died. Collapsed in her room with her stomach blown up like a balloon. Good in a way for her that it was quick and she did not have to endure frail care or surgery but annoying in that doctors feel the need to look for extra business from 89 year old ladies who would not survive surgery anyway.
Her room does not smell pleasant and I felt very awkward going through her cupboards today. I always wondered how she managed to eat so many jelly babies and so many bars of chocolate as I was always getting calls from her to buy her more (and get them to her "as soon as I could, but not extremely urgent"). She did not need them at all. Her cupboard was full of sweets, chocolates and biscuits. She was a feisty character and I will miss her.
So on writing this and preparing something to say in church on Monday, I thought I needed some cheering up. I think you will enjoy these too.
mustardache
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