Celebration

We had the formal send off for Nan today and it was a celebration. Nan had two girls and both spoke, as too did her niece who at 17 was taken in as part of the family. She really was a woman before her time - the real independant woman. To me she wasn't your classic 'Nan', she wasn't baking, or really babysitting (to my recollection). She worked until she was 70 and she had already lied about her age to stay on that long. Infact her last employer sent a beautiful boquet.
At 60 she was off to see the world- travelling, meeting people, the life of the party. Boyfriends, fashion and parties aren't what you associate with your Nan!
She was 96 and three days old when she died, but dementia slowly started to take her ten years ago. It felt as if she just slipped away from us. She was still alive, living in care, but not alive in any way. She didn't know anyone and was purely going through the motion. Her death was almost a relief, a finality. She was no longer trapped in some time prison forced to interact with people who she didn't know or recognise. For us it was a nice way to gather and remember the woman she was, to grieve for her loss and to celebrate her life. Hopefully she is dancing a jig wherever she is now!