Tears For Louise

Terribly sad news this morning.  A vivacious mother of two teenagers, a teacher who walked tall in both the Maori and Pakeha worlds died suddenly this morning.  I taught with her and taught her children.  The last year I was teaching in a regular classroom we shared the class.  In the mornings she taught them while I taught art to other classes and in the afternoons I had our class and she taught Kapa haka and released other teachers.  They were not an easy class either and we had to be on the same page.  I admired her enormously.  I am going north to her tangi/funeral and to be with my school whanau/family.  It will be an emotional time is understating it.  Early last year her husband died from a brain tumour.  Those beautiful young people have lost both parents. This a Link  to an early blip of mine Ohinemutu, Rotorua, where Louise will lie as is Maori custom before her funeral.

As usual with me it is song lyrics that float into my mind to help me deal with my feelings.  
  
I can't believe you've gone and left this world behind
It takes time to learn when someone's gone for good
They're not coming back like you wish they would
In the empty hours when you miss them so 
Well it's time to learn to let them go  

Tim O'Brien & Pat Alger sung by Maura O'Connell