Dearest Mum Twenty years ago tonight you left this world. The hospice called us shortly after midnight but by the time we got to you, you had taken your final breath. It still tears me today that we weren’t with you but somehow in your selfless way, I think you wanted to spare us the pain of seeing you die. Although twenty years have passed since then, I still remember you as vividly as though you were here yesterday; your smile, your laughter, courage, love and warmth. They are just memories now but I’ll never stop treasuring them. In your last letter to us, you said ‘how happy you were to be our Mum, although it was short’. Well Mum, I want to let you know how happy I was to be your daughter. In my mind, life can’t be measured by how long you lived, but by how much you loved and how much you did, and by that measurement, you lived to be 100. You are always in my heart. I love you Sam