Friday, September 19, 2014

Humble Heroes

I wrote about her here she's one of those dear ones locked in my heart who will forever inspire me.

Today she lies in her casket up in the wake-room of the church. I haven't visited yet. Though I will. The finality of death is never more enforced than in a wake-room with an open casket and yes, I'm deferring the moment.

She was a dignified, pretty woman who kept her light under a bushel. Always superbly dressed even in a tracksuit for her road training.

"Hush," she'd say to me when I'd congratulate her on yet another Tely 10. She hated being in the limelight.

She had 9 children, all university graduates. Her husband was twenty years older than her and died in his nineties. She would speak of how wonderful he was. It always brought back my granny's advice of being with a man twenty years older: "Better be an old man's darling than a young man's slave." And Granny lived it also, being married at 18 to a man of 38.

Patricia hated being alone and could never understand my desire and choice to live in such a manner.

"I was born lonely," she said to me more than once as we played cards, "From then on I always wanted company".

Rest in peace, Patricia.

You never did believe me when I told you that you are one of my stars.

14 comments:

  1. lovely. Thanks for giving her to us so generously...

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  2. What wonderful details you chose to make her live in our imaginations. A great tribute. I don't blame you for deferring the moment when you attend that wake.

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  3. Lovely tribute to a remarkable woman. (Although the idea of being an old man's darling makes me cringe!)

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  4. May Patricia rest in peace and the good memories carry you through the time of waking and the funeral.

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  5. That just goes to show that if you love each other, a big age difference is quite unimportant. Except of course that the younger partner might outlive the older one by quite a few years. And I'm ten years older than Jenny....

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  6. What a lovely person she was.
    *I was born lonely* very poignant.
    Maggie x

    Nuts in May

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  7. Jan:

    I miss her small fierce little body around the place.

    XO
    WWW

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  8. Linda:

    Confronting reality has never been my strong suit :)

    XO
    WWW

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  9. SAW:

    I think I'd have had more success at being an old man's darling. I was never indulged in my creativity by any of my partners.

    XO
    WWW

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  10. GM:

    Her 9 children affirmed she had never raised her voice. Ever.

    I think she is totally at peace :)

    XO
    WWW

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  11. Nick:

    Oddly enough I've seen it going the other way, the younger one predeceasing. Life is shooting craps.

    XO
    WWW

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  12. Maggie:

    She was, she will be sorely missed. No one expected the cancer that got her, she was so very healthy and strong.

    XO
    WWW

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