Another Grey Day

Yesterday was a clear, sunny, beautiful Autumn day. From start to finish it was a day that was all about my Dad with my amazing sister in law thrown in,in the company of my kids, grand kids and my loving husband. The funeral service to celebrate the life of Leverett Bradley was lovely from start to finish. Friends and family gathered and paid tribute to a Godly man. I swelled with pride that the man they spoke of was my Dad. I was able to say a few words myself despite my prediction of not being able to put two words together.This morning I feel such relief that yesterday is behind me while knowing the days and months ahead of living without Dad will be the real challenge. I do have confidence though that we will find our way through it. But today , a grey, windy, wet day brings another sorrow. Today we celebrate the life of Gladys Marjorie Titus. Gladys has become a dear friend and I am so grateful for the time we spent together in the last year. I began Wednesdays with Gladys last November and for the most part visited her every week. What a treasure trove of stories she shared with me.She was struggling with her fear of dying , her declining health but her vivid memory of her rich past never faltered. She is the last of her siblings but leaves behind fifty five descendants all of whom she carried in her mind and heart knowing every birth date and every important event in their lives. She kept a death book and made sure Leverett Bradley was added in her last days even as she lay dying herself. The spot she reserved for herself with the instruction to be filled in later will now have her name , her death date and age. It is impossible to say just how huge this woman's influence reaches. Her descendants mourn her and feel the deep effect her life has had on theirs. They will gather today and give her the send off she deserves. I will be on the periphery mourning her loss in my life and saying goodbye to a dear friend ; a friend who was present at six of my book launches and will no doubt be present in most if not all of my future writing. Thank you Gladys Marjorie Titus.