I remember so clearly losing Dad and promising him that I would look after the lady he had loved so much – my mum. Well today she is celebrating her 79th birthday. I still live too far away to nip in for a cup of coffee and some of her gorgeous home baking but I did go and see her this weekend and we went out for tea.
I love my mum so much, I am lucky that we have always had a special connection. I used to spend hours sat on her knee as a child and we share a …read more

Just 23 minutes to go until Christmas day
A day when familys gather and smiles fill the air
Oh, 7 hours and 23 minutes until I wake
And realise once again, YOU my soulmate, are not there

But fear not world I will put on the paint
And sense your warmth from up above
Which will get me through the day, a day of loss
Through the one thing you gave me, they could not take away….
…Your love.

Happy Christmas, love you as much today as when you went away….

It is 5 years today that Dad took his final bow from this world. A world that he graced so well. There is not a day goes by without me thinking of him, wishing that I had spent more time with him, asking myself how could I have been a better daughter….all the kind of thoughts, grief riddles your brain with, during the bereavement process.Many of you know that I run a podcast and blog in Dad’s honor called The Engaging Brand. He would have been so proud as this year it was nominated for the Best Business Podcast award. Though it …read more

From the love that made you who you are….
From the desire to keep their memory alive….
From knowing that nothing, absolutely nothing, will bring them back..
From knowing that life is too precious to give away….
From seeing the pain of those around you, who want you to come through the pain….
From a life history of knowing that things will “look better in the morning!”
From focuing on what you can do rather than what you can’t change…
From knowing that they would want you to find a happiness….
From deep inside, from that personality that made them love you….
From knowing that giving up will feel …read more

As many of you may know, my day job is working for a company called The Engaging Brand and in that role I was lucky enough last year to meet a wonderful blogger and podcaster called Christopher Penn who has just written a beautiful post on grief and how we can either let it destroy us or use it as motivation to live a full life. The post contains some wonderful words from Matthew Ebel
“Seems I lost my my status quo.
I looked up one day, you were pulled away
now I ain’t got much to show.
Where you’ve gone to I don’t …read more