Mum, you really were one of a kind.
I love you more than words could ever say.
Growing up, there was nothing you couldn’t do. Nothing you couldn’t fix. No costume you couldn’t make the day before the show that I’d forgotten I needed.
You knew intuitively when we needed you, and were always there. My biggest cheerleader. The one who made me a grammar pedant. Taught me courage, kindness and tolerance. The one who told me my cello rendition of the Beatles was ‘incredible’. Of course, you also had an incredible talent for driving me completely mad.
We laughed. We loved. We comforted. We advised. We bitched. We argued. We disagreed.
We could wind each other up like nobody else.
The truth is, we were probably too much alike for our own good. You were stubborn, strong-minded, emotional, loving, and just a little bit crazy.
So, yeah, thanks for that; I inherited it all from you.
But behind the arguments and the madness was something much bigger: love. You loved me, and I loved you. We didn’t always make it easy for each other, but we never stopped being Mum and daughter.
Now that you’re gone, I would give anything to have one more conversation with you. Even one of those conversations where I’d eventually think, “Here we go again.”
I’d happily have the arguments. I’d happily be driven mad. I’d even let you have the last word.
You were my mum. You were perfectly imperfect, completely yourself, and absolutely irreplaceable. One of a kind.
I miss you every day.
And although losing you hurts more than I can explain, I feel incredibly lucky that I got to love you. I am incredibly grateful that I got you as my mum, because despite the anguish I put you through as a teenager, you have always come through for me and never let me down.
Your love for James and Pippa has been abundant, and they only have fond memories. I am so glad they had the time with you that they did.
Honestly, Mum, I wouldn’t have had you any other way. I love you.
Always. Until we meet again. Xxxx
Ruth Petrie
04/09/2026
