Beryl

Good friends, most of them I have never met, have said that I should carry on posting my thoughts on my lovely wife Beryl, something I thought I would not, or could not do but here I am doing it, I suppose I am on auto pilot.

First of all I would like to thank all those who have sent me emails of condolence from friends at Freedom2Choose and family who read this blog. Your words have lifted me up and made me cry in equal measure. Thank you for your kindness.

I have surprised myself by making arraignments for Beryl's funeral, a thing I thought I would not be able to bear. But through a drunken fug I did so.

Yesterday I had to go to register Beryl's death less than 24 hours after her demise. To say that I didn't want to go there is an understatement. Go there I did, with the help of my bro in law who drove me and had difficulty parking his car. Why are these places difficult to find? Anyway I thought I would be taken to reception and asked to sign something but that did not happen. Instead I was taken to a quiet room, tastefully decorated and a young lady asked me if I wanted coffee or tea. Coffee was given to me and a three quarters of an hour talking about Beryl interview, if you can call it that, ensued. The young lady was very good at her job, she put me, the bereaved, at ease and slipped in the box ticking questions as we talked about Beryl. Then I had to go into the next room to meet the coroner's assistant to finalise the death certificate. Again I was given the sympathy treatment but at no stage did I feel pandered to, I felt at ease, the only time I have done so since she died.

I say all of the above because I realise that many people go through the same thing and I want to help eleviate their pain of having to go through the same thing. I cant thank these people enough for easing me through the burdon of my loss.

When I got home I plucked up the courage to contact a local funeral director. Again they were marvelous and I suppose that part of their job is to make the bereaved feel at ease while they are coming to terms with their loss. Anyway things have been finalised.

My beloved Beryl will be taken from these flats at 11,45am on Thursday the 23rd of February to be taken the short distance to where we were married over 40 years ago and a service will take place. From there she will be taken to the cremetorium where she will go to her final resting place to be cremated to her favourite piece of music, Clair De Lune by Claude Debussey. I will be one of the Pall bearers.

Beryl, you leave a tear in my heart that I don't know if I'll recover from. I love you, always have and always will.