“A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset.”

24th of May 2018 a day we will never forget! The day before we had received a phone call to say my husbands (Kevin) great uncle (uncle Richard) had sadly lost his battle with cancer, saddened by the news we jumped in the car and headed to toward Tauranga Hospice to be with our family and say our goodbyes. As we set off about our 45 min car ride to Tauranga from Waihi we started getting a bit of an uneasy feeling as we knew another uncle (uncle Billy) would be there and we had unfortunately been through a massive fallout over his parents estate settlement that had started 1 year ago on the 24th of May 2017 when our beloved grandad (uncle Billy’s father) sadly passed away. I had been left as the executive of their will as I was entrusted to carry out their wishes this in turn upset people and it turned very nasty!

So with lumps in our throats we arrived to the hospice, we were greeted by all the family with tears and emotions all over the show. After exchanging hugs and tears with everyone outside we made our way inside as I stepped in the door I instantly locked eyes with uncle Billy my heart sank but I just had to tell myself we were there to pay our respects and support our family! I kept walking towards our beloved uncle Richard kissed him and then I looked at uncle Billy he stood up and we hugged and just held each other there was no words, but I knew we had just cleared the air and it felt so good! Reconciliation was such an amazing feeling.

The next day 24th of May 2018 the funeral preparations had begun there was sadness not only for uncle Richard for our Grandad is it was his one year anniversary, anyhow we all went about our roles, Kevin went about sorting the seafood, I packed up my car and heading off to Tokoroa to start setting up the house where we would lay Uncle Richard and begin our send off, the rest of our family were with our body and had planned to convoy back to Tokoroa Uncle Richard shared a love of motorbikes with uncle Billy and so he got the keys to his stunning brand new Harley Davidson and was going to be riding right behind the hearse all the way home “the ride of his life on that bike” My main mission was sorting the home to be accomodating and ready for everyone to arrive at 1pm, get settled ready to farewell our loved one. As there was sadness there was also a sense of excitement that we would be reconnecting with uncle Billy and it felt so good I couldn’t wait to talk to him and just move on from what had happened over the past year! As 1pm came close we were all ready waiting and watching the clock waiting for our family and body to arrive, then 1pm came and went 1.30pm came I started trying to contact the family no-one was answering the phones, just dismissing it for bad weather, thinking they must be close. Then the phone rings it’s one of the great aunties (nan Toppy) she says sorry we have been stopped there’s been an accident she explained she was about 10 cars back from the hearse and didn’t know what was going on, then she says oh hang on here comes Renee (cousin) then silence all I can here is “he is gone” my heart starts racing I’m trying to ask her “who Nan Toppy?? Who’s gone” she says Bill (uncle Billy) he’s come off the bike” “he’s gone” I drop the phone freeze and look around and all I can say in disbelief is “he’s gone”!!!!

Over the next few long days of sharing tears,emotions, disbelief, shock, blurred days we said goodbye to not one uncle but two all I remember thinking and saying to myself is how does this happen like seriously you would not read about it! how so you have a double funeral! As we went home and started reflecting on what we had just been served one thing started to become very real, life is way to fucken short not to be happy and you absolutely have to do what makes you happy! From that day my journey to happiness within started!