Hello loyal blog readers, clients, family and friends.  I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who gave condolences last week following my grandmother’s funeral and wake. It meant so much to my family and I.

My nanny, Lillian Wood, would have been 91 this October. She gave birth to 9 children and spent most of her life on the family farm. She was a nurse during World War II and was always considered a strong woman. Nanny had a lot of faith and was very active within her community and church.

My fondest memories of nanny were in the kitchen. God could that woman cook; biscuits, cakes, roast chicken dinners with all the fixings. Perhaps my nanny’s good cooking fostered an early interest in nutrition!  Nanny was also an avid quilter, knitter and crocheter.

I can remember spending lots of time with nanny on the farm growing up. We’d milk the cows, play with the barn cats and pull weeds from the garden.  Nanny taught me how to give and how to work, which to this day are the cornerstones of my nurturing career.

When you stop to think about it, living till 90 should be a celebration of life (not death).  The average life span of a Canadian female is 82, which means nanny outlived most of her friends. My grandfather, Raymond Wood, passed away when I was 7 years old. Nannys health remained good until her 89th year when she developed Type II diabetes and moved from the family farm to a nursing home. 

So thank you nanny for all that you’ve done. When I see a single feather lying on the ground I’ll know you’re still around. For they say angels speak through feathers and wings.  I’ll keep my eyes peeled and think of you during my sleep. 

Rest in Peace Lillian Wood October 1919- August 2010