Today I have to record some very sad news. Our dear friend and neighbour, A, passed away a few days ago. A beautiful, young mother of 4 was overwhelmed by a rare cancer and the chemo that went with it.



Before we moved to Belgium, we saw her almost everyday, walking her kids to and from school and the patience she had with them gave me so much inspiration. When I was pregnant with Frunty, A cheered me up so many times and helped me see the humour not the fear in giving birth. Her stories made me laugh so hard. When we brought our newborn home, A sat on our porch holding him and gave me more pep talks. She was a very giving woman. She was kind and funny. We went to the Paddy's pub a few times, just women, and had some great laughs there too.



Today is A's Memorial Service. At least her pain is over. She told me once that she couldn't understand why she had gotten sick because she thought she had done everything right. She had had her 4 kids before the age of 35. She seemed active and very healthy. The way I saw her carrying around her children, I often thought that she was as strong as an ox both physically and mentally. So mixed with a deep regret are also disbelief and an inability to understand why this happened.