End of an era

This morning was the funeral of my lovely elderly neighbour.  She was a gem of a lady.  I called her the duchess.  She was full of wisdom, grace, and mischief -- right until the end.

I collected her after a brief hospital stay mid-December, where she learned she was poorly and had no more than an handful of days left.

She told me her plan was to achieve three more things.  She then set about proving the doctors wrong, delaying her exit for almost three months.  She laughed every day.

She wanted to:

• Have one more Christmas with her family 
• Celebrate her 92nd birthday 
• See the birth of her 5th great-grandchild.

She achieved them all.

Living her life as much as she could, until the end.  It was an honour to know her.