I can't tell you the best present I have ever had cos usually I am just chuffed that someone thought enough of me to buy me something, however small.
But I can tell you the best present I have ever given! Sounds a bit vain doesn't it but the only reason I am saying that is because it was a present that came back to me and mine, ten fold, a few years later. Any guesses what it was? No? Well it was just a book called The Grandparent's Book.
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| Ours is a bit trendier than this one! But you get the gist. |
Then a few years went bye and then my mum became ill. She had been ill for about 6 months when the subject of the book was brought up again and she became quite agitated as she had been unable to fill it all in.
So I would sit with the book and a pen and she would dictate to me what she wanted to say. She didn't have to think too much as the book basically asks the questions and you just have to fill in the blanks. Then she took a bad turn and the book was abandoned for a while.
When it was discussed again, it was suggested that Holly sit with her, writing everything in and it could be a special time for them together.
We had more or less finished the book before my mum died. It is such a special little book because, it is all about her, in her words but written by three people: my mum, her daughter and her granddaughter.
I haven't been able to look at the book or even turn the pages but I know where it is. It now lies safely in Holly's memory box in her bedroom and one day, soon, we will read it because my mum actually had quite a remarkable life. I am now thinking about buying one for my dad too, not for Christmas but just for him to look back and tell us about his life.
It is the most precious gift that Holly, Jack and I have ever received because memories fade and get confused over time but this is an accurate account of her life told in her words.
It's PRICELESS!
