Parental love

Thank you to Marian Keyes for opening her heart to us in “Me and my Dad” in the January issue. As I write this I have tears streaming down my face. My dad doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, but he has just been through cancer treatment and in recent years has had some frightening medical scares. I lost my mum last year, but had the opportunity to be with her in the months before she died. It was a heartbreaking time, but our relationship went from strength to strength (and there had been a period when it wasn’t great). I have learned to value the relationship we can build with our parents as we all get older and more forgiving. I have just spent a week with Dad, which is the most time we have spent together in many years, and it was delightful. Our parents have given us so much, that to give them our own time and unconditional love in the latter part of their lives is incredibly important. Let’s not have any regrets. VICKI SQUAIR