My mother died on the 3rd June. One of the messages of sympathy I received ended with “…… there will always be flowers”. The meaning of these words became apparent during this time of grieving. The flowers in my home, the flowers in the chapel and the flowers in my office comforted me.

My mother loved church, the traditions and the hymns. In tribute to the sweetness of her unquestioning belief, we choose the children’s hymn “All Things Bright And Beautiful”, for her memorial service and we made sure that the floral arrangement in the church was an array of bright and beautiful flowers.

I asked my daughter to read out my eulogy, as I was too emotional to speak myself, which ended with this beautiful poem.

“If Roses grow in Heaven”

If Roses grow in Heaven
Lord, please pick a bunch for me.
Place them in my Mother’s arms
and tell her they’re from me.

Tell her that I love her and miss her,
and when she turns to smile,
place a kiss upon her cheek
and hold her for awhile.

Because remembering her is easy,
I do it every day,
but there’s an ache within my heart
that will never go away.

Author: Kirsten Preus

To my beautiful mother, may you rest in peace.