Posted by Chris Walker – A Remarkable Lady,
This is a very brief thank you to Mrs Smith for giving me a fantastic purpose filled life, rich in meaning, a rare exquisite gift beyond value. Thank you, Mr Smith, Stephen and James, thank you for sharing you wife and mother, with us all.
My mother was a depressive and was helped by Mrs Smith, Methodist’s wife in the Ashbourne circuit. Forty five years later towards the end of Mum’s life, I remember them sat together, Mrs Smith holding Mum’s hand. This says a lot. Thank you.
She guided and corrected me, she taught my wife to be a good mother, then taught my children and set them upon the right path. They have held to that path and now work for James, which is a great joy for me.
I have been with or around Mrs Smith for most of my life. I have seen her in the heat of the sun and the deep storm, but never saw her waver or complain about her lot. To do what she did was tough and exacting work, requiring constant detailed focus, great courage and stamina. Speaking truth to people is not always easy but that’s what she did because it was in their best interests to understand. Her health was often a thorn in the flesh, not totally surprising given the pace she set. Love was the propellant and everyone felt its glow. Thank you for loving us all so much and for taking time to wrestle with understanding mental health issues so you could unravel a life without hope. You took a pile of broken bricks and constructed something special with them rather than getting new. Against all odds your faith made the improbable or seemingly impossible to happen.
You had the intellect and presence to hold a room full of people, all sorts of people, the great and the good, the ambassador, the taxi driver, the scrap merchant and the MP. All mattered to you, in the end it was the heart that counted, that was the true measure of worth.
Thank you for loving us all and for giving yourself so completely to help mend a broken world. Truly a life to celebrate, a life to challenge and inspire young people in times to come and to take them to heights they never dreamt of.
Chris Walker
