I know it's a bit of a miserable subject to talk about on Christmas Eve but my Dad died late at night on Christmas Eve 1979, and for all it's 28 years ago I still think of him every Christmas Eve. It's a bittersweet time for me as I also lost my Mother in December 2005.
It's about this time of day when the sun has gone down and it's dark outside that I think about all those people I miss, whether they are just a distance away or gone forever. Spare thought for all those missing someone at Christmas, whether they have passed on, or are elsewhere and can't be with you, maybe they have to work over Christmas or maybe they're in the armed forces and posted abroad.
And as it's Christmas Eve and a special time for children let's remember Madeleine McCann who disappeared on May 3rd and hope for a miracle.

Just a quick post today as things are hectic at the moment. Went to a Christmas dinner/disco last night - food was OK but there's never enough of it! Most popular thing seemed to be the plastic water pistols which came out of some of the Christmas Crackers - great way to use the awful wine they served!!
Been food shopping this morning as there will be little time as Christmas approaches. My partner's father has been taken ill so we may be really busy for the rest of the week

Today is the second anniversary of my mother's death. She had a hard life and never had things easy - she never seemed to find the happiness she was searching for and I wish things could have been better for her. I do miss her - as you get older yourself you come to realise how short life really is - don't forget to phone or send cards to all your family and friends - even a little gesture can mean a lot.

It would have been my Mother's birthday today - she died December 2005. It's one of those sunny Spring days today, the sort of day she loved - I can picture her sitting in the garden with her cats, soaking up the warmth of the sun........

Today is the first anniversary of my mother’s death. I didn’t get to see her before she died as I was recovering from surgery myself – I wasn’t expecting it to happen so quickly even though she was bed ridden and had suffered a number of small strokes which destroyed her memory and left her unable to speak towards the end.
I suppose you always expect your parents to go on forever – it’s a shock when they die even though you know it will happen sooner rather than later. I regret not being able to see her for the last time, to hold her hand and tell her that I love her – even though she hadn’t recognised me for a few years. So my message is visit them, phone them or even just send them a card to let them know you care – your parents won’t be around forever.

Do you ever think about what your parents were like when they were young? Watching my daughter grow up got me thinking about my Mum and Dad. My Dad died many years ago and my Mother died last year. I've never seen photographs of them as children, times were hard when they were kids so photographs would have been a luxury. I wish I could ask them about their childhoods - the games they played, Christmas, Birthdays, schooldays.
Made me think - I should spend as much time with my daughter as possible - talk to her, laugh with her, hug her when she feels sad, tell her about my childhood........