We scattered my grandma’s ashes in the garden on a sunny day during lockdown in April in the same spot where my granddad’s ashes had been scattered many years before. My dad did the scattering. My mum and I did the crying.
The greatest privilege of my life thus far was being present for my grandma’s last breath. She had been very ill for many, many years with Alzheimer’s and possibly some other form(s) of dementia which we don’t yet know about.
For the last years of her life she lived in a specialist care home in a town just under an hour’s drive from my parents. Recent figures show that this town currently has the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country.
Would my grandma have caught COVID-19? Would she have survived? And if not, would she have suffered more than she already did? And would we have had the possibility and privilege of being there for that last beautiful breath?
Love and courage,
Leah
Ahh thanks for sharing this, reading of your Dad scattering your Grandma’s ashes was so moving. How wonderful you were able to hold her hand at the end. Something I would have loved to do when my father died. I chose not to when my Mother died, and that was my choice.
Death is something we need to be able to speak about more normally naturally and often; it is part of life. Maybe there will be some really positive and necessary changes about how we talk about death as a result of Covid-19.
I agree wholeheartedly with the need to speak more normally, naturally and often about death. Thank you Francesca! Really feeling that special relationship between you and your dad at the moment.
Thank you Leah – both my grandparents passed in recent years and this really spoke to me. Thanks for writing and sharing.
There is something so lovely about reading about the loss your grandparents too – a shared experience – a remembering that this is something we all go through. Thank you Andrew for reading and sharing.
Sorry for your loss.
Your grandmother is probably happy to have moved on to the next phase of her existence to live without the physical hardship.
Maybe you’ll still be aware of her around you in her nonphysical presence.
Thank you so much dear Linda. xx
Much love and courage to you! Gratidude for all you share! May you be at peace.
Conrad
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Conrad. Love and courage to you too!