Lost at sea

The last couple of months have been crazy. It has been one thing after another. I wish I had been lost at sea the whole time.

First my Nana got really sick, well worse, so my Dad spent a month going back and forth between Wellington. It was hard on all of us and stressful for him.

Then it was my aunties 50th. My Nana appeared to be getting better so the majority of the family headed to Christchurch to celebrate with my Auntie and her family. After an amazing weekend in Christchurch, every flew back to their regular lives expecting not to be on a plane for another couple of months.

Less than a week after my aunties birthday my Nana passed away. This was the hardest part of all. You don't expect a lady who raised nine children, and countless others, to pass away so soon. Although she was in her mid nineties, she always seemed invincible.

She died exactly 13 years and 7 days after my Grand father.

The funeral was beautiful. She had asked that no one give a Eulogy, us grand children joked it was because she didn't want all nine children standing at the alter talking for hours. However, one of the priest doing the service, who had been a friend of her sons from childhood, told her she was wrong for requesting that and spoke about her. It was a short few moments, but it was just what was needed to be said.

After the funeral we celebrated her life like all Catholics do with a party. The woman inside, the men in the garage, and the grand children catching up. It was the longest amount of time all 9 children had been together for nearly 30 years.

We arrived back in Auckland and had much needed rest. My brother left for the USA 3 weeks later and I still wish I had been lost at sea the whole time.