Memory of a Friend long gone

Over a lifetime friends come and go. Some move on in their lives and just disappear….you wonder sometimes if you have done something wrong to upset them. That has happened a few times to me and I am ashamed to admit that I may have done it to one or two also…..but this is not what this blog post is all about.

A dear friend who no longer walks on this earth. We met this lovely lady called Winifred when we both lived in Shackleford. She did voluntary work at the nursery my three attended. I am sure out of my three sons no1 will probably remember her (Son no.1 is here – I’m proofreading, and yes I do!). She was a  lovely lovely lady who had never married. Had taught small children all her life and was very committed to her faith.

I have two memories of her that I want to share.

1.Ron and I were confirmed in the Church of England long after son no3 was born. We were confirmed at a cathedral…I feel ashamed to admit that I cannot remember which. We would have loved to have had Winifred being part of it at the ceremony….we needed to have a babysitter that we really trusted and Winifred offered to do it and to me, that proves true real friendship’

2.The other abiding memory is when I helped her collect for Christian Aid one week. At the time I felt very honoured(I have not felt that many times). We went around the village (Shackleford) collecting one evening and a few days later we retraced our steps collecting the envelopes bac. We went back to the little cottage she lived in and over a cup of tea each……we counted. We were really surprised at the amount we collected.

A small memory of a nice moment in time that I have never forgotten in a lifetime of other memories…..Here’s to you Winifred a lovely lady in the true sense.