Lovely Surprise

I have just been looking for a specific photo for next Saturday's Nostalgic post when I came across this photo! The woman is Auntie Doss (or Dorothy Pederick to be more exact!).

Okay, I have just googled her and more stuff has come up - she wrote a book for one "A History of the Australia Federation of Methodist Women"! I knew there was a book written about her "Sister on Patrol" detailing her time as a missionary nurse in Papua New Guinea - she was there for 30 odd years from memory but I didn't realize she had also written one!

And speaking of 'memory' I have a million from Auntie Doss. For a start Doss was Grandpa's only sister. She was often away when I was little - must have been when she was in PNG. When she returned she lived in what I assumed to be the family home right in the middle of town but as the family were farmers, I now wonder if the home was one that her parents bought when they moved off the farm.

Anyway, she made lovely cups of tea and grew huge sunflowers in the backyard.

Auntie Doss was a passionate Christian all her life and you couldn't fault her walk in faith. She loved and cared for everyone. Never spoke a bad word. Even at 80+ she was looking after the 'oldies' of town and inviting the homeless or the lonely to her place for Christmas. She was our very own living and breathing Mother Theresa.

She passed a year or two ago - had dementia so in some ways she passed long ago - it was just her body still here. Her way of dealing with it was to say "I am a bit short up top - have I already asked you this?".

What a collection of delightful, tinkling (yes that is the word that comes to mind - like little bells or a wind chime) memories of an incredible lady!

What a delightful surprise :-)