How Can 3 Go Into 2?

In early 2007, we found out 2 bits of news. The exciting, my step-mum was pregnant! The bad, my Oma was very ill. She had been diagnosed with bowel cancer and told she had 3 months to live. After a week or so, she was taken to theatre to remove the affected part of the bowel, but she was so riddled with cancer, there was nothing they could do. Her prognosis was reduced to 3 weeks. Each Monday for those 3 weeks, my mum, younger brother and I would travel 3 hours to Adelaide to see her. After these 3 weeks were up, she was still fighting. On August 24, Mum and I were in Adelaide with a couple of friends for Calisthenics Competitions, so on our way home, we stopped in at the Mary Potter Hospice where Oma was now living. Upon leaving, Oma turned to our friends, smiled and said "It was nice to meet you". She then turned to Mum, still smiling and said "Thank you for bringing Jessica to see me". One final sentence from her lips before we left "Jessica, it was nice to see you one last time." Two weeks later, on September 8, her body gave up it's fight, and she passed away, aged 86. She never got to meet her 18th grand-child.

Precisely 11 months and 1 week after Oma passed away, my auntie walked into my Opa's retirement house to find him lying on the floor. He'd had a stroke. I never had an opportunity to say goodbye to Opa as he passed away one week later, aged 91. 2 weeks before the anniversary of Oma's death. He knew his 18th grandchild for only such a short time and I'm sure he felt honoured that his 13th grandson was named after him (well, Bradley inherited Opa's middle name - Ignatius).

Sitting in English on July 2, 2009, I got a text from my mum saying "What lesson are you in? I need to talk to you." My stomach sank. I had a bad feeling about this message and just 2 hours later I was sitting in the car when Mum announced "Uncle Stephen passed away last night." That was it. The dreaded fear that another family member was Heaven-bound, had been confirmed. But why him? He'd only turned 60 three and a half months before. He only knew his oldest grandchild - Matthew (now aged 2.5) - for a short time and sadly, he never got to meet his second - Thomas (now aged one) - and third - his first granddaughter Alicia (now aged 6-9 months) - grandchildren.

After each of these deaths, I felt numb. I hadn't lost someone so close to me in years, and to lose 3 within 2 years of each other was mind-numbing, paralysing. All three of them are greatly missed. I must admit though, I do miss Oma the most. She was such a kind, caring, life-loving person and she gave so much to the people around her. I just wish I could give her back something.

Oma, Opa, Uncle Stephen. You are all greatly missed by your family and friends. It was an honour to know you, to be related to you and to be loved by you. I know you are all looking down on us from above.

So this my friends, is how 3 can go into 2.

Lots of Love to all (especially you three).