Saying goodbye

Today I had to say farewell to two people who have played a big part in my life.

Sadly, the manager at a garage I worked at for two and a half years died today. He'd been in hospital for a while after a heart attack but news he had gone was still a shock. He was a man who always had a smile on his face, had a cheeky charm about him and I liked him enormously. I bought the card in this picture for his wife, I hope it offers her some comfort at such a difficult time.

The second person I said goodbye to was an old flame. James was my boyfriend back in 2002. We have been friends for much longer than we were in a relationship and he's helped me through some really difficult times. I have always been proud of the fact we managed a great friendship after the break up. Today, along with his pregnant wife and his little girl, he boarded a plane to Canada where he'll be for two weeks before he starts his new life emigrating to New Zealand. I called his mobile this morning hoping to catch him before his flight left, I wanted to hear his voice before he went. He text me in reply to say he was sat on the plane and couldn't call back. I text back to wish him a safe journey and to tell him I loved him. And that was it - gone!