• Bio

Lissa Coffey

If Australia weren’t so far away I’d go there all the time.  It’s such a beautiful country, and the people are so warm and welcoming.  It’s just an arduous journey, 15 -16 hours getting there and about 13 coming back with a good wind.  Qantas has upgraded their entertainment system since the last time we flew – now they have movies on demand which is great.  But where I used to be able to stretch out with an empty seat beside me most flights, now we’re jammed in, not an empty seat in sight. My other gripes, the food, well… sucks.  No other word for it.  My hubby took a chance and ordered the vegan meal, but that was just weird, he ended up getting spinach for breakfast.  And all the airport hassle with the new security rules continues.  Going there from LAX we could buy a bottle of water once we got past security and keep it with us on the plane – but in Sydney they put a second security post right before the boarding area so we couldn’t take our own water and had to keep asking for some. But all that is besides the point.  We got there – and in one week we were able to close up my mother-in-law’s house.  It was me and Greg, and his sister Felicity and her son Jesper.  We all worked flat out, boxing, packing, sorting, shipping, and getting everything where it was to go. Amidst all of this activity Felicity planned a beautiful service, and Greg wrote a fitting tribute for his mum.  Felicity put together a beautiful program book, the photo on the cover was one of mum at our wedding, wearing one of her trademark hats, and the “Parti Sapphire” ring that she left me.  I wore a pair of her pearl earrings to the service, and in my talk I spoke about the qualities that mum had that I see now in her children and grandchildren. When we got back I had the instinct to go to the phone and call mum to tell her everything that happened.  She would had chuckled, and been so pleased with how the family came together.  I am going to miss our conversations.