“Want me to put some make-up on you?” I asked my mum as I entered the lounge-room.

“Yes please,” she replied with a sweet smile.

Mum knew I was going to ask that. I always ask the same thing, after which I nip upstairs to her room and find her make-up bag, and hunt for her missing hearing aid.

This morning Mum was sat on the seat of her walker, which is a little higher than most of the armchairs. Sitting there made her look lively and expectant, as if she was ready to bound up at any moment – I liked that look.

“I’m very lucky to have nice daughters,” I could hear Mum saying to the others as I dashed out of the lounge.

Mum closed her eyes and tilted her face up for me to apply the foundation cream, and I noticed the singing behind me. I thought it was an old film on the television.

“That old song might even be from before your time, Mum,” I laughed, wondering momentarily if they still put ancient black and white movies on television in the middle of the day.

Turning around, I saw that the television was off – it was a recording.

Whilst I was combing Mum’s hair another song came on, a nicer one.

“What a pretty voice!” my mother echoed my own thoughts.

By the time I was painting Mum’s fingernails yet another song was being played, and this time I recognised it although I have to say that the song had never had any particular meaning to me before.

~ We’ll meet again
Don’t know where, don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
‘Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away ~

“Do you know how old Dame Vera Lynn is?” I asked, feeling that my mother would be pleased to learn that someone famous and still alive is actually older than her.

“Forty-seven!” Mum said impishly.

“One hundred and two!” I corrected.

” So will you please say “Hello” to the folks that I know
Tell them I won’t be long,” a little voice sang along. I didn’t now that the lady in the chair opposite Mum could speak.

“They’ll be happy to know that as you saw me go
I was singing this song,” Mum sang along too.

My eyes brimmed with tears and I thought I was going to burst out crying but that wouldn’t have been very uplifting – would it? So I put Mum’s sun hat on her, helped her into the wheelchair and we went into the garden where I picked a bunch of flowers on Mum’s direction.

“This feels like my private garden,” said my mum with an expression of inner contentment.

And I keep thinking about “We’ll Meet Again”, now one of my favourite songs, and with great meaning.

The full words to the song are below:

We’ll meet again
Don’t know where, don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
‘Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away

[Pre-Chorus]
So will you please say “Hello” to the folks that I know
Tell them I won’t be long
They’ll be happy to know that as you saw me go
I was singing this song

[Chorus]
We’ll meet again
Don’t know where, don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day

[Verse]
We’ll meet again
Don’t know where, don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
‘Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away

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