On 19th February, it will be the tenth anniversary of us losing my Mom, ‘Moosh’.
I can’t predict what the day will be like, because it is not normally her anniversaries that affect me and (almost all of the time) I’ve moved past the years of painful grief. On the other hand, I do know that there have been many ‘non-anniversary days’ when the loss has snuck up on me and hit me unexpectedly.
Sometimes it’s a memory; sometimes it’s a moment I’d love to share with her; sometimes there’ll be a moment triggered by a song or a film. Usually, in those situations, I’ll have a minor wobble, shed a tear and need a hug; very occasionally it’s a much more engulfing cloud of renewed mourning.
Despite the fact that Moosh’s last eight anniversaries haven’t troubled me (in fact I often only register on the day itself, or the day after) somehow, this tenth anniversary has been looming, so I’ve been preparing myself.
In an attempt to control my emotions on the day, and avoid the cloud, I’ve decided to be proactive and do two things. N°1: I’m going to go to the gurdwara with my mother-in-law, because: a) she reminds me of Moosh; b) despite my lack of faith, I find the peace of holy places a good place to gather my positive memories. N°2: I’m going do a final weekend of fundraising in Moosh’s memory. It seems to me to be better to be planning to do something, to be focussed.
Sharing our family’s story of losing Moosh, in my book ‘Who Stole Grandma?’ has been one of the most heartwarming experiences of my life – it has been uplifting and humbling to hear people’s responses.
One of the proudest impacts has been the donations made to @ParkinsonsUK, when I have given WSG away for FREE on Amazon.
So, on Moosh’s anniversary weekend (19th and 20th February 2022), ‘Who Stole Grandma?’ will, once again, be completely free to download on Kindle in the hope that people will choose to make a donation to Parkinson’s UK.
If you are on Twitter or Instagram or have any other favourite platforms, I would be hugely grateful for your support in helping me to reach people, who might want to download WSG, and who might consider donating, so please share with those contacts who you feel might be interested. 🙏🏽
You can find out more about ‘Who Stole Grandma?’ on my website.
You can download the Kindle e-book from Amazon.
You can donate to Parkinson’s UK here.
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Mark Lanyon Storyteller 