Brown eyed girl

Van Morrison singing Brown Eyed Girl was playing on my iPod after the school drop. I was on my way to yoga.....a smiling face flashed in my mind, it was Randall Lewis. He was the Headmaster of M and J's primary school, Round Hill and he died just over a year ago from heart failure, whilst awaiting a heart transplant. It brought so many memories back, of the wonderful times my children had at Round Hill, about how approachable he was, how he always had a big smile he had on his face, about how he knew all the children's names, he was truly a wonderful man. He touched the lives of many and will always be in the hearts of those fortunate enough to have met him.

Jasmine can't listen to this song as Randall used to sing it, he played on a band and had performed this song many a time at school dos and it's also a song on the Round Hill CD of school songs and performances.

Life is short, shorter for some and it does seem like only the good die young. Of course this is not true, Janet, my mum-in-law turned 80 yesterday and she too is the most wonderful person, warm, loving, generous, non- judgemental and ever so patient. So, some of us live long...Dave's dad to saw he's 80th birthday, which was a great celebration, with the family all converging in Centre Parcs. He died shortly after a short bout of cancer which was very sad, but he had a good innings, some would say.

As the song was playing, tears came to my eyes, remembering the good times, and grieving for the lost ones never to be experienced as Randall had passed. They say it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, and how very true this is. We were very privileged to have met Randall and for him to have influenced our children. His wife Jane said to us after the memorial event the school had for the children that she now understood why they did so much in the few years they had together, living their lives at breakneck speed, trying to squeeze in as much as possible. They had not known that he had problems with his heart then, this was her observation in retrospect.

When I had reached yoga, parked the car, I sent Dave a text saying please don't die on me! I am not afraid of death, we all have to die sometime, it's who's left behind that I worry about. Worrying is not productive though, and so the best thing to do would be to be proactive, have a vague plan as to what would happen if one of us dies and the children are still young. We have a will, so that's a start I guess. No one wants to think about death, though death comes to us all eventually. Here's a link to the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdS262pegkQ&feature=fvsr

On a happier note, on the way back from yoga, the traffic had stopped, there was a lame pigeon in the road, nearly in the middle and cars were trying to miss hitting it as it wasn't getting out of the way, I stopped for the on coming traffic to negotiate the obstruction, one drove round it, the next drove over it, making sure the wheels would miss it. I then drove on and on looking in my rear view mirror, I noticed the first car that passed the bird had stopped and the driver, a man, was getting out, he approached the pigeon and my heart was lifted, to see compassion for another living being, I guess I should have stopped myself, to help, but part of me was thinking, end the poor animal's suffering. In any case, as the man approached the bird, it took flight and flew off, so, I was wrong to want to end it's suffering, it could still fly, and hopefully survive a while longer........ moral? Do not write off what seems like a non starter, because it may just surprise you yet.