Jeannettes poem,

When you were with us you weren’t one for soft spoken words.
Any attempts at emotional conversation you’d effortlessly swerve.
If you were here now and you sensed this heart-pour.
You’d tell me to shush, sit down, to ‘close the door’.
We’d all sit in the lounge, all cosy and all warm.
Put a film on the TV, then talk through it all.
With a cat on your lap and the dog at your knees.
You’d pet and you’d fuss until I agreed ‘Aren’t they so pretty’.
We’d sit there for hours and put the world to rights.
Reminiscing and laughing about all the good old times.
Giggling at memories till the day turned to the dark.
Like the new haircut ‘chode’ or your day trip to the park….
Even at the end you were always true to you.
A fabulous diva, and you, through and through.
Walk past your reflection and your hair you would tease.
With your effortless style and you in your dungarees.
One thing is for certain, there’s no one quite like you.
Even treatment shakes were taken by champagne flute.

Now you are gone, and it’s time to say.
That you could bring sunshine to the darkest of day.
And although I never said it, you know what you meant to me.
My life lived with you is full of endless happy memories.
From little girls to little women, with you I have grown.
You have been there from the beginning, your home is now my home.
So I want to say Thank you, for everything you have done.
In my heart you are my family, you are an adopted Mum.
You have always been there so Goodbye is hard to say.
But I know I’ll see you again, on the other-side one day.
You’ll be holding hands with Dereck and Barbs, Molly and JellyBean too.
And I will get to tell you…. J-dog, I love you.