Nana

My maternal Nana was a little pocket rocket! She stood five feet tall in her stocking feet but she was MIGHTY none the less.

She was also one of those magical nanas who had a completely different relationship with each of her grandchildren. When I would go and stay overnight with her, I would go on my own. It was such a treat being the centre of attention and again she did this with each of us. I’m fairly sure that we all believe that we were her favourite and I think we were all correct on that score, we were all her favourites.

She had been raised in a good Christian home and attended church regularly. However, I don’t think she had a personal relationship with her creator until she was sixty-five. My mum flew down to visit her, shared her experience as a new Christian and nana decided she wanted ‘in’. She was then baptised with water in much the same way they dunk babies, just on the top of her pretty head. She had a colectomy bag and so being fully immersed was simply not on the cards.

She had one of the most amazing send-offs I have witnessed.  She lay dying in her bedroom surrounded by her children, grandchildren and sisters. We all took turns sitting with her and soon discovered that when she was in pain or was agitated all we had to do was read the bible aloud and she would return to peaceful slumber again.

I was lucky enough to be in the room when she was given her final communion and the last words, I heard my nana say on this earth were “Oh I love you Jesus”.

What a fabulous last line huh? It was one of the most moving and powerful moments of my life and I thank nana internally regularly for leaving me with that legacy memory.

It felt to me at the time and still does like it was the ultimate handover between generations. It was nanas way of saying “This is what I want you to know. This is what’s important to me at the end of a life that had been well and truly lived”.

Thanks Nancy!