Jo Graves RIP – James Summers & Son memorial page

My mother died on 19th February—last Thursday—at 04:30. She had not really been conscious for a few days and peacefully slipped away. Her funeral is on Monday March 2nd at 10:30 in the Briwnant Chapel of Thornhill Crematorium, Cardiff. There is a memorial page for her to which you can contribute if you wish, or just look at photos of her through her life. It is on the Funeral Director’s site, James Summers and Son.

Mum posed for an illustration
in Relaxing into Meditation

I have closed Aro Ling Buddhist Centre this week and cancelled all my appointments for the 10 days after her death. Aro Ling will reopen on Tuesday March 3rd.

After the initial frenzy of visiting the doctors’ surgery, the registrar, the Funeral Directors and her bank, contacting other officials, and sending out information about the funeral, I find myself in a pleasant lull. I am sad, but not excessively so. I am starting to relax after being ‘on call’ for so long, wondering if the next phone call was going to be the one bearing sad news. She had been ill for a long time, and had such poor quality of life at the end, that I would not wish an extension upon her. She was 98 and had lived a full life.

It is strange the things you find yourself doing in a space like this. I cleaned my oven this morning – thoroughly. I even took out the glass panels and cleaned them. This was even before I had got dressed. Mum would be proud – if a little surprised.