My sister and I wish to thank everybody for your very kind and thoughtful messages of condolence after the the passing away of our mum on March 18, 2015. I have take an extract from your message with your first initial and country.
Here are extracts from messages of condolences from family and friends of my mother. I had regularly told stories of my mother on retreats. I have included extracts from messages of condolences from the Sangha.
I received news from B that your mother has recently died. I never knew her except through your occasional Dharma talks, when you spoke of her with fondness and admiration. What did she used to write? WAYCH? When Are You Coming Home? No doubt she was a remarkable woman, and a good age. You will miss her. (WAYCH referred to my mother’s PS at the end of her weekly letter to me during my 10 years in the East (1967- 1977). From R in England
How is it without your mum being amongst the living? It seems so surreal. This sudden appearance of an empty space. D in England
I’m very sorry to hear of the passing of your mum. I, too, fondly remember her visits to our place and the interaction she had with everyone at some of the talks you gave here – one in the back yard and another one at the Relaxation Centre when she would ask interesting and probing questions. A twinkle in her eyes and so much kindness in her heart. K in Australia
I am very sad to hear the demise of your beloved mother. My sincere thanks to you and your most beloved Mother for all the help rendered to Prajna Vihar School. I am praying for her and I am sure that She will intercede for us. Sr. A in India.
We send you our condolences at the passing of your mother. As R says: “We are all in the first class departure lounge waiting for our name to be called.” P in India
Never met your mum personally but because you mention her so regularly in your teachings, I feel that I have known her and she is part of our entire Dharma family. T in Germany
Sorry to hear about your mum. What a lovely way to go after such a long life. W in Australia.
Peggy was a lovely lady, who was very kind to me in when I was a lad, so I’m sorry and saddened that I haven’t kept in contact over the years. Christopher, I’m, glad that the school in India is still going well, I guess your faith is sustaining at a time like this. We have just made a donation, which I hope the school finds useful. It must be no small consolation to you to know that she had a good and long life – it is always so very sad to lose one’s parents and break such a link with the past. What a very interesting life she has had and how far, literally and figuratively, she travelled from her home in Harcourt Mansions and then Homestead Way. Coincidentally, Christina and I drove past 108 Homestead Way just last week and I pointed out your house. Sad to see that the path Peggie and Gladys wore between the two gardens past the front windows is long gone. B and C in England
Thanks so much for your email and for sharing your words about your mum. She sounds like such a lovely lady. You must have got a lot of your goodness from her. I am so sorry to hear about your loss, even though it has to come at some stage, and it sounds like she’s had a good life and died peacefully. H in Norway
I know how much she meant to you. I have sent you a small donation via PayPal for the Pragya Vihar School in her memory. J in England
Losing a parent cannot be easy, no matter how evolved one may be. I am sorry. T In India.
I’m sure she is blessed with her Lord. Love and blessings to you! S in Sweden
I met her personally about 11 years ago in Brisbane, but she is still very alive in my memory. I am happy that she died so peacefully and just before having a cup of tea in the morning. What a lovely way to pass away! I guess how we die has much to do with how we have lived our life. It will be a big shift for Judy after caring so many years for her mother. Please send my condolence greetings to your family. N in Germany
My condolences to you, to your sister and to the family. Looking at the funeral photos, it feels like a celebration of a life well lived. May she be in peace.Y in Turkey.
She certainly did have a good, fulfilling and varied life. She really was a lovely, kind and generous lady. One of the best. S and P, England
It was a great blessing for you and your family that your mother could live such a long life and it seems to me that she had a happy and satisfying life. It impressed me reading in your text that she moved to Australia in such a high age of 78 years and started a new life in a new country. My own mother died seven years ago in the age of nearly 98 years. I feel with you because I have made a very similar experience. K in Germany.
Send you loving thoughts for your loss. Losing one’s mother is a big deal, no matter the age. She seems to have been quite an amazing woman to have made the changes in later life that she did. And with a lot of grace. Seems like the two of you had a very special relationship. Looks like your mom had a lovely high church homegoing. And you look very comfortable as a minister. So good you were there. G in the USA
Prajna Vihar School, staff and children will always remember your mum. Thanks for what she has been to us. (my mum’s prayers for the school and her first monthly bank order of £10 per month since the school started in 1990. My sister has now taken over the monthly bank order). Sr. Shobha, head teacher of Pragya Vihar School, Bodh Gaya, India.
My condolence to you, death of parents is quite something, and my appreciation to your mum. J in Germany
She was so lovely to us all when David died and was so helpful. P in England
I heard the news that your dear mum has died and simply wanted to connect with you. J in Australia
My heart is with you. I hope the love sent to you at this time is a worthy gesture to remember her by. She sounds like a dear and brave person that had a very full life. Death is worthy vocation indeed, and you are so well equipped to face it. Does it make you an orphan? O in Israel
I felt very touched by your account of your mother’s passing. Thank you for sharing this with us. It’s a blessing in this world when someone can pass away in a peaceful state. We are very grateful to your mom for giving birth to you and all the qualities that she has brought to the world, I still remember in one of your talks when you mentioned your mother’s reaction to your fathers passing, the deep questioning about what life/death is really about… The opportunity for being present with death is such a gift. M in England
My thoughts of love and compassion go to you and your family at the passing of your mother. Over the years I have come to appreciate how close you and your mother were. I recall staying at your house and you saying that your mother had, “showered” you with love. My sense is that she gave you a very good example of what love is that you have been able to emulate throughout your life. As we all know, the act of morning one’s loved ones can take many forms. In my case the first thing I wanted to do when my mother died was to write some of my fondest memories of her. Some of those memories were read aloud at her funeral. T in USA
Thinking of you. Lots of love. D in England
I feel very warm in the heart as I think of you going through this age-old threshold. Wonderful to know she felt ready to die and then did so, and that you could be there for the funeral with your sister. And I am very touched to hear that she gave the first standing monthly bank order for the school. I can see where some of your courage and generosity, openness and steadfastness come from. M in Spain
N told me, that you are – or have been – in Australia because of the passing away of your mother. We hope that she could leave the family in peace and harmony. We are with you in our thoughts and heart. S in Germany
Anyway, sorry about Peggy but she did enjoy her life and was great fun. I will always have very happy memories of her and our days at The Universe (UK Roman Catholic newspaper in London, where she worked in the late 1960s) and even though she was a great age, no one can replace ones Mum and I’m sure you will miss her a great deal. M in England
Much loves to you Christopher in those time of movements, an expression of life that is sometime more shaky for some. J in Canada
Thank you very much for your message and photos – and the response – showing the capacity of a calm and peaceful mind by the passing of your mother. From S in Germany
Glad she went peacefully and pray that she has a happy journey and destination. R in India.
By this meritorious act, we all share the blessings of the Divine and continue to help the needy and that your Dear Mother’s Soul Rest in Peace! K in India
My deepest condolences for your loss. E in Poland
Sorry to hear of your loss Christopher – but 94 that’s some innings eh? P in Holland
Glad to hear that your mother left peacefully, maybe with some degree of intentionality. She must have been a special one. A in Hong Kong
I’m sorry to hear about your mum. It sounds like she was ready to go, and she’d lived to a ripe old age, but I know it is still a very big loss for you and your sister and you have my deep sympathy and warm thoughts at this time. .J in England
I am sure my Mum is enjoying a wonderful time up above now. I used to tell her she was ‘the last man standing’ when it comes to all her friends from New Addington and Croydon (Surrey, England) days plus her generation of relatives. Judy (my sister) in Brisbane, Australia
I am sorry to hear of the loss of your mother, and am sending you my presence and warm support for this period. My grandmother also passed away about 4 weeks ago, peacefully at home, sitting at her usual place on the sofa, beside my grandfather. She was 98. I am happy for her that the transition came smoothly, respectfully. B in Canada
I was saddened to hear of your Mum’s passing, she was a genuinely lovely person and will never be forgotten. I was three or four when we first met her, Dad had started as a doctor at the surgery in Arnhem Drive, and from then on your mum was always a joyful part of our lives. I remember her taking me, and others, on trips to Fleet Street for the Lord Mayors show, being taken to the air show at Biggin Hill, in fact driven there by you, Christopher, I think your Mum had just bought you a set of tyres! Sundays at your home in Homestead Way with Dad dancing the Twist! The Denches next door, happy memories. When my son Joe was born she was the nearest thing he had to a Grandma, he used to call her Grannie Peggie. We visited her in Blackpool a few times and he loved it. He still remembers her even though he was very small, he still has all sorts of little presents she used to send him, as do I! Peggie was a very special person, kind, helpful, thoughtful, the list is endless. She made pretty good cakes too, including our wedding cake. She was missed when she left these shores (to live close to Judy in Brisbane, Australia) and will be missed even more now. It would be lovely to think she is back with Norman, Dad and all the people that loved her and went before her. J in England
Sorry to read about your mum just now. I wonder how it is for you. When my mum died, I didn`t feel grief, what I felt and continue to feel, is a boundless gratitude towards her. That the love that she gave me in my childhood and youth, is the ground that I`ve walked on for my whole life. P in England
Sending you love and condolences on the loss of your mother. Whatever your relationship was, it will continue in some form, that’s for sure. May it be rich.
Radha ls told us another baby’s on the way. (Nshorna is expecting a baby on July 1). Wonderful timing! G in USA
Was very much touched by your message. I feel that a lot of people know your Mam through your stories. I will never forget her constant question in her letters to you “When are you coming back home?” It was a gesture of Love.S in Israel
I am sorry that you have had to say good bye to your Mum, your relationship with her has been strong. What a ripe old age of 94 ‘- that’s amazing. What a resilient soul. She deserved to pass from this world in peace and she did. What a blessing. S in Australia
What a lovely way to pass over! Just as easy as having a cup of tea…K in Australia.
Thanks for informing us about the demise of the beloved mother of Christopher. I am sure that She must have also a great support to the school. May God reward her for all what she has done on earth to share the love of God. I have already sent a condolence letter to Christopher. Sr. A in India
Deep condolences to the bereaved family. May she rest in peace. P in India.
We were just talking about her in Delhi. R in India.
None can replace our mother. A in Germany
it was comforting to learn that your mother passed peacefully after living a long happy life. Wishing you and your family many many more happy years together. O in Israel
Thank you for sharing this news. I was very touched by your mother’s energy in her last days, and particularly in her last moments. It sounds like she was in a good space. Z in Israel
We are so sad for you all, At least she went peacefully. She was a lovely lady and always made Mag and myself welcome round your home and put on some great parties for all of us, I will always remember her. The tears have started rolling down my cheeks, so I must go. S and M and in England.
The way you describe how you mother died sounds very peaceful, may we all die in this way. D in France
Twenty years ago last summer, my mother got gravely ill and died just after I had been to Barre as a visitor for one of your retreats. When I informed you about it, you were kind enough to remember me to others on the retreat, as you often did when it came to bringing to mind friends who were going through difficulties. I so much appreciated that gesture. In the same spirit, I send you heartfelt condolences and warm regards for your sister and the rest of your family. Your mother sounded very brave and at ease. B in the USA
The dignity of your mum runs until the moment she decided to die and the way she did. So beautiful and inspiring! Dignity seems to be her great mantra. Do continue to take care of this wonderful heritage you received. I in Switzerland
I am so sorry to hear about your mum. How marvellous that she was in good spirits and that she told the staff she was ready to die before she went peacefully. A mum is always a mum, no matter how old the child – so I am sad about your loss. A in England
Sad to hear of Peggy passing I will always hold fond memories of her. K in Australia
Though we all must leave this body of illusion. we miss those close to us. A good soul has left this Earth and we are all a little poorer for the loss. Her Christian heaven has had a gain of much metta (loving kindness) from one who is still standing. E in Australia
What a peaceful death…ready to die and asking for a cup of tea. It is strange to think that she is no more with her quirky, argumentative adoring relationship with you. One thing is certain – she really loved you, Christopher. R in Australia
MAY ALL BEINGS LIVE IN PEACE
MAY ALL BEINGS LIVE IN HARMONY
MAY ALL BEINGS LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY