What a huge crowd of people there are already here in the hall!
Brothers daughters husbands mothers aunty and her husband all in one room…..

I’m not sure what I expected for ‘a family party’ but not this! All from one family!

We are here to celebrate Helen’s 100th birthday.
I have been in awe of this lady and this celebration since last May when the fact that it was to be her 100th birthday in ten months time and would we like to come? Just dropped into conversation.
My goodness, of course we would come!
And so we have travelled across the country to help celebrate this wonderful lady’s special day.
Helen is very sprightly, a little bent until you remind her to stand up, she laughs “Thank you dear I do forget. It is Miriam isn’t it? I sometimes want to call you Marion but that’s Gerard’s brother’s wife isn’t it?”
I am touched to the core that she remembers me. The last time I saw her was ten months ago.
After working with memory loss for so many years it is life affirming to be with someone who is 100 years old and whose memory is intact.

She is on her feet visiting all the tables of little groups of cousins, aunts, sisters, nannies and great grandchildren. (She hardly sat down all afternoon and the beaming smile never left her face).

My brother came by our table. (We were a straightforward mix of my husband and my brother, his sister, brother and brother in law… sorry all names were followed by a family connection this afternoon.) Helen is his partner’s mother.

“And that’s Helen’s cousin’s husband. No, the child belongs to one of her children’s children. I can’t remember which one” Gerard said, shaking his head and giving me a hug.
“Thanks for coming, Helen is delighted and I am thrilled to have some of my family here”

Thank you Alexa at Trimming the Sails for the place to record my Simple Moment in March.