Vale Poppy Stan

Mother's Day here was a bit mixed. As I was in bed being treated to cold cereal made by Hannah, the phone rang. It was Paul, to tell me his dad had just died. This had not been unexpected - Stan had been in hospital for tests for a week after he deteriorated rapidly, and had come home on Friday to die in his own bed. Paul had been spending a lot of time there over the last few days, helping his mum to care for his dad. He had been very scared of how Stan's final days would play out, but in the end, everything turned out as well as can be expected (if you can say that of someone's death). They got to make some peace, Paul helped his mum, faced a lot of his fears and made sure his dad died in his own bed just as he wished.
Paul and Jeannie seem to be coping okay. Stan's death has been a long time coming, so it's not really a shock, more an adjustment period, I guess.
The obits in the paper today were very nice. Stan was a much loved and respected person. He fought his unwinnable battle valiantly, I wish the children had had the chance to know him before he was mostly bedridden and so wrapped up in his own pain.