Tuesday 28 July 2015

RIP dearest Beryl

I so needed this today.
I had a need to write this today. 
It’s a tribute to a very special woman who’s left this world a sadder place for her passing.
I remember her with fondness and love, and a huge appreciation for the insightful wisdom she shared.  We lost contact a few years ago and the sadness I felt on hearing this news is tinged with regret for the years we lost.

Never let anything stand in the way of telling those you care about just how much they mean to you.

She was one of the strongest people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.  All those who’s lives she touched are left changed by her presence and strength.  I know she had an ineffable affect on MY life.
The last time I spent time with her .... November 2010 at Leadwood Lodge in South Africa
My first trip back to SA after moving to NZ
Our journey began many years ago just after the birth of the oldest lemming.  Not only were our second lemmings born within days of one another, but our homes shared the same cul-de-sac.  Play-dates and friendship were a natural progression as we shared in the ups and downs of babies and toddlers and trying to run a business from home.  She was superwoman.  I was nowhere close.

As with so many of my friends at that time, she became a second mother to the youngest lemming.  She was the one who taught him how delicious raw cake batter was and how to get really dirty in the mud at the dam.  Many were the hours we spent kayaking with the youngest lemming fast asleep in the front of my kayak.

Magical memories that can never be erased.

I will always remember her “can do” attitude.  
Nothing was impossible.  
No-one beyond help.
She had a courage and a zest for life that was beyond contagious.

I wept today for this woman I once knew so well.
I wept for the circumstances that changed our friendship.
For the barrier it placed between us.
I wept for the family and friends left behind.
She was, and always will be, one of the most special people I have ever known.
RIP Beryl Tonkin.
You were, and are, very much loved.

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