MUMMY TO THE MAX

Christmas seems like it was a long time ago now, so much has happened in such a short space of time however I thought I would write this post to show what my favourite Christmas Present was, whilst joining in with Oh So Amelia's linky.

This year my favourite present was not a material object, or something any one could buy me. It was something unique, something which made Christmas joyful. It was the gift of having my family around me and spending my Nan's last Christmas with her. Every year we have spent Christmas as a family, although we visit Ben's family and my Sister visits her partners family, every Christmas we seem to split our time and come together even if it is a few days after Christmas.

Christmas 2013 was the best Christmas I think I will ever be able to look back on. I got lots of nice things, but all material things, things that can be picked up in shops, things that can be bought with money. Christmas 2013 was the last time I saw my Nan, it was the last time I kissed her goodbye and said I would see her soon. 14 days later, I had the dreaded call to tell me she had sadly passed away in her sleep. 14 days, a matter of 336 hours, 20160 minutes.

I am so thankful I got to spend Christmas 2013 with her and the rest of my family. Memories can never be erased and moving on I know this is something which I can keep forever.  We had fun opening presents, eating food, watching the queen's speech and watching Max happily play with his new Christmas presents.

I loved how she was so concerned about the jumper she bought Maxwell and how it may not fit him, or the fact we wouldn't like it. It was perfect. It was chosen carefully by someone perfect. I loved how she had been a little ill before Christmas but had still taken the time to pop to the chemist to get me a few presents which I could open. This is what a thoughtful person she was, she was always happy to go that extra mile for anyone.

I really am going to miss my Nan however this is not a negative post, it is something happy. It is something I can look back on and relive those magical memories. I am proud to have had the chance to grow up knowing my Nan and I am thankful for the best Christmas present I could have asked for.

This week has been hard, my wonderful Nan sadly passed away on Wednesday night. She had been ill for a little time however our whole family, hoped and prayed she would get better. She was strong and had gone through a lot of problems with her health, she always battled on well however finally she slipped away from us.

Everyone says there grandparents are the best, but I have never met anyone like my Nan. She leaves behind a husband, a husband who she was married to for over 60 years and adored, 2 children, 8 grandchildren and 2 great grand children all who she cared about and loved very much. We are all truly blessed to have had her in our lives and we are all blessed to have spent part of our lives growing up with her.

She was a loyal lady who was loved and cared about not only by our family but by friends. She would go out of her way to help anyone she could possibly help and she always made sure she thought about others before her own needs. I personally do not believe that she had a selfish bone in her body. If you ever needed anyone, she was only a phone call away.

As hard as it is to except she has gone, I am blessed with many memories of her. I had her in my life for 22 years and in those 22 years she made some real impacts on me. Maxwell had her in his life for 2 years and although he may not remember her when he grows up, I am going to make sure he grows up knowing about her and why she was so amazing to us all. I am so glad my Nan actually got to meet Maxwell.

The best memories I have of my Nan are:

Her getting me into jigsaw puzzles - As a child I used to love doing jigsaw puzzles, I still do now however I barely have enough time to do them. She was the one who taught me to separate all the bits and turn them the right way up before doing the puzzle, she was the one who taught me to be the expert jigsaw puzzler I am now.

Her kindness:  Christmas 2013 when she was not so poorly, I sent her a plant... wishing her to get well. Sadly she was allergic to the plant and rang my mum up to explain that the plant was now outside and if I came round not to be offended. I doubt I would have noticed but she was never one to try and upset anyone. She was always very thoughtful.

Staying at my Nan and Grandads house : As a child I sometimes got to stay with my Nan and Grandad. They treated me like a little princess and I would enjoy lovely dinners as well as trips to the park near there house. I always remember going down the slide and I have very happy memories spending time with them. They also took me to Morrison's for lunch and I relate any Morrison trips to them as this was the only place they shopped at for so many years.

Dogs: My Nan and Grandad have always been huge fans of dogs, I remember once when they went on holiday we looked after there dog who was called Ben. He was a lovely dog and ate a lot of sugar puffs, he was a lot of fun. Maxwell's first experience meeting a dog was also at my Nan's, she was looking after my cousins dog. I remember Maxwell screaming and running after the dog in excitement. I loved watching the joy on his face.

Although my Nan is sadly not on this earth any more, I like to think she is looking down on us all and is guiding us on the right paths of life. I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for being part of my life Nan, thank you for being you. I love you and will miss you.