One minute she has her hand on my shoulder to steady herself as she steps into her little, navy leggings. The next minute she’s driving on a country road towards a semi-trailer; the lives of the truck driver and the 420 lambs he’s transporting hang in the balance with my life and her own. Four … Continue reading Do you want to drive?
‘But you don’t look sick.’
On cross country or swimming sports days, probably the athletics days too, I’d always choose a pain in the belly as my complaint. Mum wouldn’t be able to say, ‘Well, you don’t look sick.’ And as a further stroke of genius, she couldn’t prove that I didn’t have one. If she took me in to … Continue reading ‘But you don’t look sick.’
Motherless daughter
I was in a jeweller’s shop before Christmas. As I reached across the counter to take the earrings that the sales assistant was showing me, she gasped and commented on the rings on my fingers. ‘They were my mum’s,’ I said. ‘She died…’ I looked down and twisted one of the rings to its correct … Continue reading Motherless daughter
Letting go again
If it’s true that the death of a loved one tops the list of the five most stressful life experiences, then it must surely be followed in second place by sorting and emptying out that loved one’s wardrobe. Bathroom cupboard. Bedside table. Mum’s red glasses. Her toothbrush. Her slippers and dressing gown. The things that … Continue reading Letting go again
‘Thank you for your generous donation’
When Mum died I found great comfort in the quote that grief is love with no place to go. So true, I cried. ‘She’s still with you, mate,’ Anthony would say. What did he mean? She’s f&%#ing not though, is she? She’s in the ground. That’s what I wanted to say. But this week, I … Continue reading ‘Thank you for your generous donation’
An apple for the teacher
It was going swimmingly. Our first day. Actually it wasn't their first day of home learning; it was my first being home with them. Elsie was kneeling in front of the fire balancing her computer on her knees. Maeve had set herself up at the kitchen table. Perhaps tomorrow we could set up something a … Continue reading An apple for the teacher
It was a fun party after all
It feels a bit like musical chairs at a birthday party. All the kids run and squeal and when the music stops they plonk down on a chair and hold the seat of it with both hands, joy and pride clear on their safe little faces. And the one kid who misses out smiles weakly … Continue reading It was a fun party after all
Raising awareness of suicide prevention
Sadly, we now know that Danny Frawley’s devastating death yesterday was not an accident. Frawley was respected for his willingness to share publicly his ongoing battle with depression. In a long list of great achievements, he is being remembered for using his profile to remove the stigma associated with depression. Today is World Suicide Prevention … Continue reading Raising awareness of suicide prevention
The first year
I woke this morning at the same time that Mum took her last breath 12 months ago. I remember every detail about that moment. In fact, I can recall, hour by hour, every detail of the two days leading up to it. Apparently, the cortisol released by our bodies in times of stress embeds memory … Continue reading The first year
Writing by Larissa Patton 