Nanny

     What can you say about a lady who gets her ears pierced for her 100th birthday? She's a bright spark; a woman who never lets you forget how much you mean to her; a lady, gracious, loving, and funny. We met when her husband was suffering with multiple myeloma and I was their hospice volunteer. Our arrangement was that I would come by for a few hours on Thursday afternoons and stay with him while she went out for a little while to shop, have tea with a friend or just have a little time to herself. Her husband had bone cancer which is very painful, terminal but also can be interminable. He was in need of palliative care for years, most of which was supplied by his wife, cheerfully, continually, faithfully. They were a lovely couple--- grateful for my time and attention, careful and caring for each other. He and I spent time together on "projects"; we fixed things around the house, drank tea and ate sandwiches and chatted about life. I truly enjoyed the time I spent with both of them.
     What can you say about a lady who gets an iPad for her 100th birthday? She's a great grandmother, a grandmother, a mother, an auntie, a friend for life. She is loyal and honest, faithful and feisty, a person who can talk to anyone, a woman of unflinching courage. Once in a while you meet someone who is loved universally, by everyone they meet, the life of the party, the quiet centre of a family.What can you say about a lady like that? She's our Nanny!