Sad Stories... Happy Endings x

I've always been really fascinated by birth and life and death. In fact, my family might say I'm not so much fascinated as obsessed! I think it's totally amazing that we're here on this planet, walking around, doing all sorts of cool stuff. Having seen lots of babies being born and been with several people while they were dying I can really feel how we're part of this great big circle of life.  

If you've read Shine, Glitter or A Million Angels, you'll notice that my books explore the themes of life and death over and over in different ways. I'm doing it again in my next book, A Sea of Stars. My stories have sad themes that make my characters dig around a bit with the big questions we all have about life. Sometimes in real life stuff can happen that makes us feel like there's never going to be a happy ending, but usually if we dig around a bit more we'll find little shining gems of hope amidst the gloom.

Last month something terrible happened in my husband's family. You might have heard it on the news. His cousin's 17 year-old son, Horatio, got killed by a huge...

Everyone in the family was totally devastated and one of Horatio's younger brothers was so sad because he realised he'd never told his brother he loved him and that he'd not said a proper goodbye when Horatio went off on his trip to Norway. Through all the sadness and trauma and tears the family wondered and wondered and wondered how they could ever find anything good out of this terrible situation, how they'd ever find the will to go on, or the glimmer of a happy ending.

Then came his funeral, which brought more sadness and tears. People stood up and talked about Horatio and about what amazing boy he was. They talked about how he had this special talent for making everyone feel included and loved, even if he didn't know them very well. They talked about how he was a tender, gentle giant, an amazing loving, and trustworthy friend. And although I didn't know Horatio very well I started to get a real sense of how much happiness and love he had brought to this world.

Then in the back of the order of service booklet I found a poem and a wish written by Horatio's Dad, which asked that everyone take a little of Horatio's love and kindness and humour and gentleness and talent for including others, and tuck it into their own heart. He asked that if everyone, everyday, could remember even just one of the qualities that made his beautiful son so special then the world would be a richer place for having had Horatio in it. That his death might find a happy ending in someone else's life.

So I thought I'd pass this wish onto you in the hope that you might tuck some of Horatio into your own heart and spread it around the world. It's not complicated, it's stuff like if you find a new person in the playground looking lost and alone you might try to find a way of including them. It's about remembering to be gentle and kind, and the very best friend you can be. It's about taking the time to tell and show your family and friends how much you love them, and it's about always remembering to hug and say...

While we were driving home from Horatio's funeral, feeling really, really sad, we had a phone call from my sister.

"Hayley's had her baby," she said, "it's a boy, they're calling him Luca!"

And because I'm Luca's Great Aunt my sadness moved to happiness and then to this amazing, expansive feeling of wonder at the mystery of it all. Life is an amazing gift to treasure. We live and we die and we leave special little gifts behind so that others can tuck us into their hearts.

This is baby Luca! I wonder what special gifts he will bring to the world?

We all have special qualities and amazing gifts and I'd love to hear what parts of you you'd like people to tuck in their hearts when it's your time to say goodbye. x