We can all be brave

 She was told that her husband was terminally ill and would die before Christmas. He lay in bed for the next 18 months as she nursed and comforted him through the lockdown pandemic. He died last week, two days after their 63 wedding anniversary. Their son had come to visit for their anniversary, so there was someone with her when the moment came. I spoke to her the following day as we sat in her garden and this 87-year-old said to me. ‘I think because our son was here, John felt he could leave me in safe hands. I am a lucky lady to have had such a great marriage and such a lovely man. He knew he was safe and I could tell when I entered his room during the night that he knew I was there. He spent his final years in his own home and I could do no more. I’m very tired now and am sleeping much of the time. I’m not sure what the future will bring for me but I feel blessed.’ I left her then with the reassurance that my wife and I would be there if she needed anything. She said that throughout this ordeal she had felt safe because we were next door. Covid meant that she had lived the past two years in isolation from her family but knew we were her safety net. She smiled as we left her in her garden and I could see how weary she looked, but full of admiration for the bravery this fragile old lady had shown.

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