Angels Gone to Heaven

Gladys Irene Bryant

Born: 26-02-1918 Passed Away: 4-06-2011

Nana was a lady, full of poise, grace, compassion and love. Never a curse or careless word was spoken, a cigarette never lit, a drink never drunk.  There was always a beaming smile ready to greet you and a slight hint of disappointment when you were leaving. She was and always will be liked and loved by those who had the honour of knowing her.

She met the love of her life Leonard, for some, a lifetime ago. Married for 65 years, there was no disillusion as to the hard work that needs to go into a marriage, but for so many, Nana and Grandpa made it all look so easy. I cannot thank them enough for showing us what it is to truly love someone through the good and the bad times, for richer for poorer, in sickness and health. There has not been a more valuable and wonderful example of true love and commitment.

Nana loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren dearly and never failed to remind us on a daily basis of just how much. In fact, according to her there was no clear measurement, it was boundless, endless.

We could not have asked for a better cheerleader and believer. In each and everything we attempted or invested in, she was right there to offer her support and a big thumbs up.  There were and are no failures, the least we can do is try and try our best, that’s all she ever asked.

93 years is an amazing innings. Nana often felt the Lord was taking too long to reach her page and that she must have done something wrong to still be on this earth. We had to tell her so many times that the world is short of upstanding citizens and God wanted her here to show the way, to remind us of the characteristics that should be appreciated and cultivated.

Nana loved the simple things in life: a smile, a hearty joke, dessert, a cup of coffee, a warm summer day and an abundant, colourful garden. It is with this in mind that we chose the following poem to share with you:

God looked around his garden

And found an empty place,

He then looked down upon the earth

And saw your tired face.

He put his arms around you

And lifted you to rest.

God's garden must be beautiful

He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering

He knew you were in pain.

He knew that you would never

Get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough

And the hills were hard to climb.

So he closed your weary eyelids

And whispered, 'Peace be Thine'.

It broke our hearts to lose you

But you didn't go alone,

For part of us went with you

The day God called you home.

Nana, you will be loved always and forever. It is with full hearts and fond memories that we say farewell, not goodbye. Merely, see you later Alligator, in a while Crocodile.

*I will miss you so much, you are and always will be my eternal sunshine*

Heaven on a Plate

Have you ever sat down to a meal that just blew your taste buds away? Or do you have a dish that a loved one makes that you can't help but tuck in for seconds, maybe thirds?

Last week Friday, I had the pleasure of experiencing one of the best meals I've ever had at a new little cafe, Billi Bi, at my local shopping mall. I'm a food lover, as previously indicated, I have the curves to prove it! So, this experience got me thinking about all the meals I've had that have allowed me to travel to heaven:

1. Billi Bi's delightful grilled calamari with grilled veggies and a caress of sweet chili sauce. Mmmm, there were no words really. I guess heaven must be really quiet.

2. My mother's lasagna. Yes, I understand this could be percieved as mere bias, but I promise if you had to taste it you would agree.

3. The steamed lobster I got to devour on the banks of the Swan River, in Perth, on a balmy summer evening.

4. My grandfather's breakfast of burnt toast and oats with powder milk...clearly not because it tasted like heaven, but because it was made with love.

5. A packet of old fashioned slap chips........not healthy, but seriously addictive. The smell of vinegar and salt gets the saliva juices flowing.

Ofcourse, there are so many more memories of great food I could conjure up, but then that would make this post just far too long. It begs the question.....what have been some of your favourite meals of all time?