Susanna taught and enriched my life in so many ways and the greatest lesson I learned from her was to receive good graciously.

I had always been a kind and loving person, but my past experience in life had made me feel unworthy of accepting generosity in my life. I had been receiving messages from my loved ones, that because I had mental health issues, that that meant that I was a bad person whom was unworthy in many ways. Yes, I worked in mental health and helped so many others with their self worth and self esteem, but was damaged in my own sense of self worth. Susanna gently peeled back the layers of damaged self esteem, like one peels back the layers of an onion. Initially when I first knew Susanna I was married and everytime I would see Susanna she would give me a hamper of groceries. These groceries were luxury itwms that I would not have otherwise been able to afford.

Susannas generosity towards me continued over the years . Sometimes she would take me clothes shopping and the clothes she bought for me are my absolute favourite in my wardrobe.

She was also generous of spirit and her wise, loving nature has healed my self esteem. I now know my own worth and I am so grateful 🙏 for her impact on my life. The generosity wasn’t one sided. Susanna and I both loved forties and fifties style vintage clothing. I had bought an expensive replica of a beautiful forties style 👗 dress. It didn’t fit me properly, but I knew Susanna would love it. She sure looked so beautiful in it . She bought me a beautiful dress for Christmas just passed and it is lovely and my favourite. When Susanna was unable to go on the cruise 🛳 we had booked, I bought her a piece of jewellery from every place we visited in New Zealand. I always hoped that Susanna would go into remission and we would be able to take that cruise again, that she would be well enough to tour with me.

As I reminense about Susanna, I realise how special our friendship was, how loving, gracious and empowering we were to one another.

My very first memory of Susanna is vivid and I remember it as if it were last week not 11 or 12 years ago.

Susanna and I met whilst working at the same place a community welfare organisation that no longer exists.

The day I met her all the community support workers were setting up on Friday afternoon for a launch function on the Monday. It was the middle of winter and it was very 🥶 cold and very wet.

My first glimpse of Susanna was that she was happy go lucky and seemed to be a good fit to be working with an Italian Women’s Group.

Susanna as always was 👗 dressed in a very femine manner. She was wearing a jumper, with a long denim skirt and flat heeled boots. She looked very warm and very appropriate. Obviously not everyone shared my view on Susannas style of dress. A support worker who shall remain nameless, looked at Susanna and told her that she was 👗 dressed like she was going to a party and not like she was dressed for work. I heard that comment and nearly chocked, because I too often came to work in skirts or dresses.

As always Susanna looked beautiful. She had style and grace and always looked appropriate. We were social workers after all, not trades working on the tools.

I was proud of Susanna that day, because she just laughed at that inappropriate comment and continued to dress like a lady at work. We were role models after all, for our clients and Susanna always modelled looking good for your own self worth and self esteem.

This was my first introduction to the person I would come to call my angel lady. She really did have style and grace.

In Life we need to keep up feeling positive and to see the good in every situation we encounter along our twisting, turning overgrown pathway Life will always throw us curve balls and it is how we deal with this that makes our journey all the more richer and worthwhile. As I have said before there is a silver lining in every cloud.

My friendship with Kathryn continues to blossom and I am truly grateful that I have her to reminense about Susanna. Being able to laugh and cry with soneone is important as you go through the stages of grief 😔.

Some days are easier than others and I have decided to use my writing ✍️ skills to make a tribute book about Susanna of Kathryn’s and mine reminisces and anecdotes to give to Susannas family. I feel so right and empowered in deciding to write ✍️ this tribute, and I thank Pat for making the suggestion to me. I feel like this is something special that only myself and Kathryn can give to Susannas family.

I will continue to ✍️ write my blog and will include these snippets of anecdotes in my blog along the way. I will continue to keep my blog positive and encouraging. I’ll keep you 📫 posted on my progress.

Susannas story will be a 🎁 gift in this day and age, I think a lot of people would appreciate her wisdom and generosity of spirit. To my readers take care and God Bless you 🙏 ❤️.

The best is yet to come……..

The music buffs who read this blog will know that the title of my blog this time is actually a song title from the latest Crowded House album Dreamers Are Waiting. Bad Times Good sums up how I feel about life at the moment. I am going through some sad times after the death of my dear angel lady Susanna, but I am also experiencing some silver linings in the cloud..

Yes I miss Susanna like crazy, but this challenging time has brought a wonderful new friend into my life. Kathryn. Kathryn too was a dear friend of Susannas and our mutual love for her, has meant we have developed a wonderful bond of comforting and reminiscing of good times ⏲️ and beautiful memories. Never have I developed a friendship, so deeply, so quickly. Kathryn and I now have a lovely bond and I feel I can trust her like I trusted Susanna. I know in the last months of her life that Susanna had wanted to meet up with both Kathryn and myself and Susanna passed on with the knowledge Kathryn and I were communicating and fast becoming important to one another. God truly does move in mysterious ways 🙏.

I truly believe that every 🙏 cloud has a silver lining. This has happened in my life countless times, so it can’t be false.

My true friends have rallied around me at this time ⏲️. Everybody adored Susanna and I know my friends are happy that I have made a new friend whilst life can be its most challenging. Kathryn is a blessing and I know she like Susanna is another angel 😇 💙 lady, put on this earth 🌎 to do good and spread love.

Life can’t be totally terrible whilst grieving a loved one. God will always shine a light in the clouds ⛅️ if we are open, trusting and loving. Susanna is an angel now at home 🏡 in heaven smiling down on Kathryn and myself.

Yes Bad Times Good. If only the talented Finn family songwriters are aware just how meaningful their songs are. I highly recommend the album Dreamers Are Waiting. It is an album that sums up life in this pandemic affected society.

Last week I wrote a blog post about being caught in a holding pattern waiting for news of Susanna.

The plane has now landed. Susanna passed away quietly early Wednesday morning. That news put an end to the agony of waiting for Kathryn and myself. Air traffic control handled the end of the ✈️ flight as gently as possible for myself, Kathryn and Susannas family and loved ones.

The whole journey with Susanna has been the most uplifting and inspiring journey of my life. I am a better person for having known Susanna. I intend to take a leaf out of Susannas book and love life and treat every person with love and kindness. Life is too short and too meaningful to do otherwise.

My darling Susanna you are my sister and your angelic presence has lighted my way like no other. The life I live now and how I choose to live it will be a tribute to your loving, happy nature.

You are home now in heaven and we will meet again Rest in peace beautiful angel lady ❤️ 💕 ✨️ 💖 ♥️ 💜 ❤️

Life sometimes can be like being caught in a holding pattern. On a plane circling the city awaiting clearance from air traffic control, that all is clear to land the plane.

This is what it feels like for me, Kathryn and my loved 😍 💙 ❤️ 💕 ♥️ ones waiting for news on Susanna. We are waiting to hear about Susanna whom is in palliative care at the Olivia Newton John Centre. We know the time is drawing near and jump everytime the phone rings. We are expecting contact with Rebecca, Susannas daughter, whom at the moment is the air traffic controller seeking to give us the news, that our plane can land, but Kathryn and I are torn, as we are not 100% percent ready for this flight to end. We know the end is near and hope Susanna passes in peace having been so loved.

To my other friends and readers I apologise both for my distance and my writings ✍️ of late focusing on Susanna, but I am literally losing my best friend, my soul sister. I am amazed and so grateful for the love ❤️ and goodwill shown to me by my friends who all know Susanna well and collectively we are already going through the stages of grief. I will miss Susanna so greatly, but know she will be an angel in heaven watching over me. She truly is an angel lady as I fondly call her.

Please 🙏 God let the rest of the flight that myself and Kathryn are on, be a holding pattern of goodwill and peace. This entire journey with Susanna has been so inspiring, empowering and uplifting. This is one flight ✈️ that air traffic control intends to run smoothly…..

It is that time of year again. It is Easter and I am thinking about this event on the religious calendar, and thinking about my beliefs and my spiritual 🙏 ❤️ home.

As a spiritual home I would have to say that it is Brunswick Baptist Church. It is the most accepting and loving church I have ever encountered. I feel loved and accepted there, and although I rarely now attend church, because of distance and covid issues, I still feel connected to that church. It is where I meet Russell, Carl and Gisele, Iolanda and Zohreh. These people I ❤️ love and value so much. They are true Christians . I have worked out that you don’t need to attend church regularly to be a Good Christian, it is about how you go about your everyday life with a grateful and gracious 🙏 heart.

I certainly do have a faith and that comforts me in my most challenging times. I definitely believe in angels and know I have been blessed 🙌 😇 🙏 with angelic presences like Susanna.

At Easter time I like to reflect on the Easter story and give thanks for the things I am blessed with. This year in particular I give thanks for the love ❤️ and beauty Susanna has brought into my life as she struggles with cancer.

We all have a lot to be thankful 🙏 for particularly as the world 🌎 continues to battle the pandemic. I feel grateful for my health and well-being. I pray that this pandemic will end eventually and we can get back to the normality of loving one another.

I wish my readers peace and happiness at this most holy time.

There but for the Grace of God go I. It is something we say when people are in more unfortunate circumstances than our own. Lately I have been thinking about Gods grace as I deal with the fact that my closest friend is nearing the end, after a long struggle with cancer.

I have gone through many different emotions recently from shock to grief and anger, bargaining and now acceptance.

I know that Susanna is loved, is an angel and will be missed greatly by a lot of loved ones on this 🌎 earth. I know there are many people waiting for her on the other side.

All I wish for Susanna is a peaceful, gentle passing. I am no longer selfishly holding on to her. I have accepted Gods will and am letting her go. She is and was a free spirit and she will be an angel up above, loving and caring for me from heaven. Heaven was made for Susanna and I have many beautiful memories of her that I will treasure forever more. I will in the future write ✍ some of those memories in my blog. A lot of women on this 🌎earth would love and appreciate Susannas legacy.

Go in peace my dear angel lady.💞💖🌈🌟🐶😇

The radio silence is the worst. Waiting in agony for some news.

Expecting the worst. Hoping that ii won’t happen, but knowing deep down it will.

Thinking of memories and remembering the love. I know you will be near me for eternity. Missing your presence and wanting it to continue

Hoping that soon you will be free from suffering. Losing you is sweet agony.

Agony that you will soon be gone Friendship like ours is always sweet, but in the end it is bitter-sweet.

Waiting for word, waiting in vain.

I love ❤️ you dearly my treasured angel lady 💛 💓 💖 💗 🌈🌟🐶😇

I am struggling at the moment .

I am preparing for the worst

However do we prepare for sad times ahead.

My beautiful angel lady 💖 💗 is being called back to heaven.

Although she is still around I am preparing myself for her not being here

It is hard to see God at work, when someone so lovely is suffering.

I tell myself that she will always be with me, as angel watching over me in this 🌎 world and the next.

I will miss her more than words can express.

She is gifted, beautiful, generous , empathetic, and compassionate. She has a beautiful sense of humour, that is quite mischievous.

If ever anyone is an angel sent from God it is her.

I tell myself all of the above to help me cope with losing her 💔

My beautiful angel lady , there but for the grace of God go I. You have taught me so much and enriched my life.

I am a better person for having known you.

Go in peace and love ❤️ my darling angel lady. I love you forever more.