A positive gift from the past

I got quite emotional this morning when I heard the beautiful voice of my late cousin on BBC Radio 4. It was on Sunday Worship with the theme of The Healing of Fear. Michael Ford played part of an interview he made last September with Grace Sheppard, as she faced her death from cancer. She talked about the power of gratitude, developing a habit of thankfulness for all the little things, pictures, flowers, a drink, which mount up. "To me, they're a gift from God... and it helps you do the hard bits."

from Chester Diocesan News

She spent her last days in St John's Hospice, hovering between two worlds. "Despite difficulties with her breathing,  Grace told Jenny (her daughter) that dying was nothing to be afraid of. In fact, she felt distinct excitement, and could discern something wonderful about what was going to happen. In the consoling atmosphere of the hospice, Jenny felt that dying was no more fearful than being born."

You can hear Grace on Radio 4, Sunday Worship, 20 Feb, at 27 minutes in.