Lynda – A Look Back at the Tributes Many people may not realise how much the messages sent to the bereaved following a death can mean. Individually, what is said may be very helpful in coping with the loss, and collectively they can fundamentally ease the sadness. When Lynda died the cards and letters I received were set out first on a shelf, then moved to a table, and finally to the only surface large enough to display them all – the floor. It made a profound difference to me, her husband, to know how many people cared for Lynda and how much. I received over a hundred expressions of people’s feelings. Thank you all!! It is hard to capture the range of expressions of sympathy, but some common themes emerged of what people saw in Lynda. The words used most frequently were kindness, gentleness, how she was loving of others and how she was “a lovely lady”. Cards and letters spoke of how, even in the years of her illness, she always put others before herself and went the extra mile to help people. She was clearly recognised to be skilled and talented, though she would never acknowledge this herself. Many spoke of her contribution over 24 years to the village community and the church, especially through her work on Open Gardens and Messy Church, and how she was always warm, generous and positive. Others spoke of how well she had coped with the long years of her advancing cancer. It was a often said that she was a privilege to know. Reflecting on her work in Special Educational Needs before retirement, her former boss provided a long and strong accolade, saying in summary that “Lynda excelled in this role, the team she managed, the schools, the parents all loved her, she was simply the best…..Lynda was definitely the ‘jewel in the crown’.” It is hard to pick out individual thoughts that capture all the tributes, but here are just a very few – • “She seemed to put everyone above herself” • “Heaven will be a richer and more organised place” • “Heaven has gained a wonderful Angel…” • “…such grace and fortitude…” • “…her gentle smile…” (it was hard to find a photo of her not smiling!) • “I shall never forget the love and support she gave to me when I had cancer, despite having to deal with much worse suffering herself.” • “… so enthusiastic and involved that she made everything she did so enjoyable and successful…a true inspiration to us all” • “…a true example of a life well lived.” I shall finish this special tribute with a transcript of a text she had copied that I found after she died in a bedside drawer. It is a short poem that was unattributed as to its author: Gone but not goodbye. Gone in her physical form maimed and disfigured though she may have seemed destined, perhaps, for a while to suffering and pain waiting patiently for release. Now we see the beauty of her life spent in the service of others thoughtless of herself her love reflected in the lives of those she served. Ever at one with God who made her she lives again with Him, at peace.