Sadness and Success

[Sheleen]

My main source of family-related information has been my nan - especially in the last year since my grandfather passed away. A week and a half ago, my wonderful nan went to join her husband and eldest child... she too has passed away.
During these difficult days, my search through our family history has helped... remembering so many other family members no longer with us, and knowing that I will help a lot of people remember my nan also.
On Monday, I braced myself and attended nans funeral - many of you will probably recall through other posts that I am agoraphobic and am quite ill if I leave my home. At the funeral, I met my nans cousin - a great lady with such enthusiasm for life, she bowled me over!
Nans' cousin and I sat for quite a while, remembering nan and her mother before her... and I showed her all I had discovered about her and my family. She was so happy to be able to share family stories with me, and for me to know who she was talking of.
You may recall "Elisha's Story" and my telling about his fishing boat "The Fairy". I now know that Fairy was my great-grandmothers pet name, given to her by Elisha himself (her father) ...which is why the boat was called so. I also discovered my great-nan had a younger brother whom I knew nothing about... and nans' cousin saved a photo of him just for me.
I feel I have met a life-long friend in my nans cousin... and we both hope to keep in contact - I have so much to tell her, and she I.
My nans passing is possibly the worst time of my life - left me feeling as though every grandparent had died again - she being the last grandparent I had still living. But in my nans cousin, I found the lost answers to so many questions I needed to ask my nan... and a person who is as enthusiatic about the family tree as I am. Nans cousin has softened a hard blow dealt to me in losing my nan... I only wish we had met under better circumstances.
She is my silver lining in a very dark cloud.

[busyglen]

Sheleen, so sorry about your Nan it is a very sad time for you. But...how wonderful that you have `found' your nan's cousin! She must be a really great comfort to you and also a fountain of knowledge, that will help you through this difficult time.

Glenys

[JNicLiam]

Sheleen,
It's a sad time for you losing your nan but how lovely that in her passing she gave you the gift of a kindred spirit.
My own long dead grandmother had a saying she often used - "the Lord moves in mysterious ways - he closes a door but he opens a window." It seems like this is what happened here. One dear relation moved on but gave you another to help you through this hard time.
Best wishes
Jill

[Ladkyis]

And the greatest gift your Nan gave you was your enquiring mind. You have all those precious memories, something that will never go away. Her cousin will fill in some of the gaps with recollections of the past they shared with your nan. Dont' forget to write it all down so that the generations that come after you will also know your nan through you.

Ann

[Sheleen]

Thank you all so very much for your wonderful words...
I'm quite overwhelmed.

I must also give a huge thank you to the Tuch tipist extrawdinair also - Thank you Geoffers for injecting much-needed humour into the 'dongola' thread, and not making too much fun of a poor 'blonde' who didn't know what RAMC or even HS stands for in WWI :D

[Geoffers]

Thank you Geoffers for injecting much-needed humour into the 'dongola' thread, and not making too much fun of a poor 'blonde' who didn't know what RAMC or even HS stands for in WWI :D
Phew! - I'm always worried in case anyone takes things the wrong way - I feared you might not speak to me!

These forums are the best place to ask questions. No one will think the worse of you for asking - and the questions you ask may be just those which others might like to know about too.

As Ann suggested, write down all you can remember of your Nan so that the memory of her will not pass; and in years to come other people may get to understand a little of the special person you knew.

Best wishes
Geoffers