I am delighted to once again take part in the Virtual Advent Tour hosted by Marg & Kelly.

Last year I wrote THIS post about my late Grandmother and how I was giving to Kiva, via being part of the Genealogists for Families Team as a way of commemorating her birthday.

Likewise, I shall make a further loan as part of the team as today would have been my Grandmother’s 100th Birthday.

She was, at least to me a very special individual. We spent lots of time together and her last Christmas was spent with myself and my husband, her visit last 6 weeks and we loved every minute of it.

My husband recorded some of our conversations as she reminisced about past Christmas’, She recalled events from her own childhood, her parents, her siblings and her time spent as a newly wed during the early years of the Second World War. She remembered being so cross with my Grandfather for volunteering, when he could have worked at the farm where his brother’s worked. Those video tapes are still here and have been transferred to DVD, yet I still can not watch them 17 years later.

She was a huge influence in my life and I dreadfully miss those conversations we had, the laughs, jokes and advise she gave.

I was incredibly lucky to have had her as my Grandmother and to have had such a wonderful relationship with her.

Here she is, in what is my favourite photograph of her. This was taken on her 21st birthday, so it does somehow seem rather fitting to share it here.

Incidentally, her present for her 21st birthday was a 24 carat gold bangle. I never saw her wear it, but she obviously treasured it as I am now the proud owner of it.

Lilian Edith Butcher nee Matthews
18th Dec 1912 – 21st April 1995

If you wish to join the Genealogists for Families Team, whose motto is  “We care about families, Past, Present & Future” please click HERE