Another Tragedy

Our friend David died last Thursday. He was the principal at Mr B's previous school, and was a great friend and mentor. He had bladder cancer. The first lot of treatment looked to be successful, but it came back in his lymph nodes, and only about a month ago was found to have spread all over the place. He died peacefully at the Nurse Maude Hospice at the age of 60. The biggest blessing for David, and for his friends, was the introduction of Maureen to our lives. If you believe in such things, Maureen is like an angel on Earth. David's wife (fortunately) left him after he was diagnosed with cancer. He met Maureen, and they have been together for about 18 months. When I first met her it was like catching up with a family member. She is the most warm, caring, funny person you can imagine. She and David had wonderful times together, with lots of travelling, looking forward, and even finishing off building a house together. Maureen nursed David right to the end, at huge personal cost, as it was an exhausting task. I admire her hugely as her first husband died of cancer, and it was a journey no one wants to take, let alone twice.
We went up to visit David yesterday. He was beautifully dressed in a gorgeous suit, with his favourite tie on. He has a simple pine coffin, and wanted everyone to write messages on it, which we did.
This post is about love. Treasure the ones you love. Give them your very best. Make the most of them every day. Maureen, you are a role model for us all. XXXXXXXX