It has been a sad an unpleasant week
It has been a sad an unpleasant week. Two people close to me are gone and will be missed enormously.1
I will remember my paternal grandfather David Cockram as a kind and funny man. I will remember trips out to my grandparent's house? Playing in the vegetable garden or eating toffees by the fire. He had struggled in the years since Grandma Cockram died; both with that loss and an his health. While I didn't see him often I'll miss the chance to hear his warm Devon accent again. Through my Dad’s family I hold a connection to the sounds and soil of the Westcountry of which I am immensely proud.
My maternal Grandmother Molly Green was someone I saw regularly throughout my life. Since moving back to my home town we live less than ten minutes away from my grandparents and it's been a joy to take my sons to visit them as Mum did with me and my brother.
Grandma had a busy life, with Grandpa she saw a lot of the world and in that they taught me the joy of exploration and the power of seeing and understanding. An accomplished crafts woman she taught us to sew, making stuffed toys and costumes to delight us and theatre audiences. She also taught that craft with the WI. She supported Grandpa in every aspect of his business and sporting career, her influence on canoeing at an international level cannot be undersold. I will remember Grandma for her cheeky grins, her whimsy and her Immeasurable love
Irrespective of my beliefs about the physicality of life I have the utmost respect for the power of stories. Stories told over generations, stories glimpsed in cards, stories written down, stories made up, true stories, family stories, fairy tales, folklore. I don’t know if Grandma really believed in fairies, just as I don't know if I do, but she taught me that it doesn't matter what you believe. If you approach anything with love and work at it you can find success, even if it isn’t the success you imagined when you started.
You tell a story with your life, your work and your legacy. While it wasn't only her who instilled in me my love of stories Granama taught me the importance of knowing about your own story and of listening to other peoples.
Grandma's legacy to me is a reminder to look at the world with love and know that the world will reflect it back.
Also one time she let me and my brother help take down a plaster wall with sledgehammers.
September 2022 - This post was originally posted as Instagram stories but I wanted to save it somewhere.↩