When I was growing up – this bike was given to me by my Mum’s partner, Merv… We still have it some 24 years later and had a great time out and about today…
It is awesome this trip that we are on, for no other reason than that my little Emily, is getting to grow up with the same toys, attractions and memories that I grew up with in Nelson… Very cool.
Coming back to Nelson has been awesome… so many memories for me… good ones, and unfortunately, a few not so good. My childhood was spent on long car journeys to Nelson from Central Otago… Visiting grandparents and going to the beach and the Lion’s Park at Tahunanui Beach… Going to Rabbit Island for picnics and swims… Berry Picking… Kaiteriteri Beach… Visiting the Animals at Natureland… I used to work here in my summers, and play golf with Merv.
For a while, Nelson was where Dad at his ill-health worst was… where he slowly wasted away at his Resthome… For a while Nelson was a sad place where our family experienced a time with Dad that was pretty tragic – his Alzheimers was pretty horrible for him and also for us… For a while, Nelson was where I cried, where I laughed and where we had Dad’s Funeral. A few days ago we inadvertently drove past the Funeral Home where we had his service and I remembered that this was the last place I saw my Dad… Where I said my goodbyes and where I started a new and scary “Dadless” journey… You could say Nelson has been a place of mixed feelings for me…
HOWEVER… Being here with the people I love the most, doing things that always brought me joy as a child… seeing my little girl growing up and experiencing the same joys and memories has proved somewhat therapeutic for me… Nelson is not so much a place of mixed feelings any more… I am HAPPY to be here… thrilled even… Time has gone by since my Dad died, and I am not actively sad about his passing… A key step in the grieving process has been realising that remembering the times you have had, is far more peaceful than mourning what you have lost. I remember him fondly and the places we spent time together now bring only a contented sigh and moment of quiet reflection.
Thank you Christine and Emily for bringing a bit of perspective to me… you have taken your husband and Daddy’s sadness and turned it into glorious gladness… 
May you always have that effect on me!
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